Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
The closing date is 26 July 2026.

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) to assess, manage and support the communication and dysphagia needs of inpatient service users at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation ward based in the Sid Watkins building on the Aintree Hospital site

You will join a , motivated inpatient team, including Neuropsychiatry, Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Nursing , and our team of Rehabilitation Co-therapists .

You will also be part of the wider Mental Health Care Division SALT service. We aim to provide the best Person-centred care, ensuring quality and safety are central. We meet regularly for peer support, clinical supervision, team meetings.

(This is a fixed term post for 8 months)

Main duties of the job

• Dysphagia assessment and intervention
• Communication assessment and intervention
• Providing Easy Read documentation
• Supporting Capacity assessments
• Service Evaluation/Audit
• Integral member of the MDT
• Attendance at MDT meetings and patient reviews

About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Details
Date posted: 10 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 8 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 350-MHC8122101
Job locations: Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool, L9 7BB, United Kingdom

Job description
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification document for full details of this role.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Completion of a recognised training course awarding relevant degree/diploma approved by the RCSLT and HPC
• Registered with the HPC - License to practice
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master's level or equivalent
• Experiential training which demonstrates highly specialist skills in specialist area
• Evidence of management training
• Evidence of leadership training
• Membership of relevant special interest groups

Desirable

• Post graduate certificate in speciality
• Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies
• Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies

Knowledge/ Experience
Essential

• Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
• Experience of carrying out specialist assessments and interventions
• Proven ability to work independently, prioritise and manage own complex caseload.
• Experience of working with highly complex cases, such as progressive illness and rare conditions
• Evidence of experience of: Multi disciplinary team working
• Leading in service projects
• Developing and leading training of others and Language Therapists
• Advanced knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
• In depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the client group
• Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
• In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
• Understands the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group
• Understands the standards of record keeping
• Understands confidentiality as relating to the NHS

Desirable

• Experience of being a Clinical Educator
• Experience of providing supervision to staff members
• Experience of facilitating groups
• Experience of using iPads and other forms of technology
• Experience of delivering/developing training to staff/carers
• Student training

Skills
Essential

• Excellent interpersonal skills - including, listening and empathy skills
• Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Excellent analytical and reflection skills
• Well-developed concentration skills.
• Excellent presentation skills written and verbal
• Excellent organizational skills
• Prioritisation and time management Skills
• Good Auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe phonetically
• Able to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
• Able to work independently recognising own limits
• Flexible and able to cope with change
• Learns from experience and willing to adapt accordingly, including learning new skills
• Able to critically appraise research Articles
• Ability to communicate highly complex or sensitive advice and information to others

Desirable

• Knowledge of the NHS strategies and initiatives

Additional information
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool, L9 7BB, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/

Contact details
Ward Manager: Colin Ross
Email: colin.ross@merseycare.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01512506247