Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist to pioneer and develop Speech and Language Therapy provision across Hampshire's Forensic Learning Disability and Mental Health Services.

Working across inpatient mental health and learning disability wards, as well as the Forensic Community Learning Disability Team, you will provide specialist assessment, formulation and intervention for individuals with complex communication and dysphagia needs. Service users may have learning disabilities, autism and/or mental health conditions, and many will have contact with, or be at risk of contact with, the Criminal Justice System.

You will play a key role in identifying and addressing communication difficulties that can impact engagement, behaviour, risk and recovery. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will support the development of communication-friendly environments, contribute to care planning and risk management, and promote accessible, person-centred care.

This unique role offers the opportunity to influence service development, raise the profile of Speech and Language Therapy within forensic services, and make a lasting difference to the lives of people with highly complex needs across both inpatient and community settings.

Main duties of the job

Responsible for delivering highly specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with complex communication, feeding and swallowing difficulties. Uses advanced clinical skills and evidence-based practice to develop, implement and evaluate personalised therapy programmes, adapting interventions to meet individual, cultural and linguistic needs.

Provides expert written and verbal advice to patients, carers, families and multidisciplinary teams, including communicating complex and potentially distressing information with sensitivity. Demonstrates advanced skills in managing patients with severe communication difficulties, disabilities and mental health needs, while promoting engagement, shared decision-making and positive therapeutic relationships.

Manages and prioritises a complex caseload independently, ensuring timely, effective interventions and accurate clinical documentation in line with professional and Trust standards. Produces specialist reports, develops care pathways and protocols, provides second opinions, and contributes to service evaluation, audit and quality improvement initiatives.

Acts as a key member of the multidisciplinary team, influencing patient care, service development and policy implementation through specialist knowledge and clinical expertise. Provides leadership within areas of specialism, supporting service objectives and contributing to strategic developments in response to service pressures and changing needs.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ashford Unit

Tatchbury Mount, Calmore

Southampton

Hampshire

SO40 2RZ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/

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Last verified against our ingestion on 18 September 2026; sponsor register dataset 2026-09-18.