Band 8a Lead Speech and Language Therapist | Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS foundation Trust
Salary:	£57,528 - £64,750 per annum (pro rata)
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Birmingham, B29 6JA
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	15 Oct 2026
Closing date:	14 Nov 2026

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Summary

***This job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested***

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Speech and Language Therapist with significant experience in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) as well as in leadership of SLT to join and lead the SLT team within Access to Communication and Technology (ACT).

The post-holder will work within the diverse caseload relating to Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT) with children and adults with communication and language difficulties who need AAC

ACT is a specialist electronic assistive technology service, which is based at the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6JA. We are a service made up of clinicians (Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapists, Health Care Scientists and assistants), technicians, stock and admin staff providing specialist assessment, set up, provision and maintenance of electronic assistive technology to meet the needs of children and adults who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Environmental Control (EC).

We are a friendly, enthusiastic, experienced and supportive team who work collaboratively as part of a national network of similar services, all funded by NHS England.

The post holder will need to work independently and travel widely within the West Midlands region and therefore being a car driver is essential.

· Clinical Leadership across the West Midlands in the specialist area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), in accordance with NHS England Service Specification D01/S/b

· Clinical expert in the specialist area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication with responsibility for a significantly complex caseload of predominantly children but also adults all of who are non-verbal or illiterate.

· To deliver an effective, evidence-based Speech and Language Therapy service within ACT. This will include day to day supervision, setting objectives and priorities, monitoring/reviewing performance, absence management, recruitment and conducting appraisals.

· Identify, lead and or participate in service improvement initiatives and projects within ACT, the trust and nationally for AAC. This may include specific projects for individual patients, research, audit, as well as procedure development.

· Provides expert / second opinions to the Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals within ACT, across the West Midlands Region and at a national level.

· To be an active part of the ACT leadership team and deputise for the ACT service lead when necessary.

• To support the appropriate use of the ACT budget as part of the leadership team. To utilise resources only as required to prevent waste with average device costs around £3000 to £6000.

IMPORTANT

• Please ensure you check your Trac account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you during the shortlisting and selection process

• Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address

• Please be aware that BCHC utilises a third party recruitment system (TRAC). When applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into TRAC and any correspondence will be sent via TRAC. We advise that you check your junk/spam emails.

BCHC has more than 5000 staff working across Birmingham and the West Midlands in a wide range of community nursing and specialist healthcare roles. BCHC delivers over 100 clinical services, in people's homes, health centres, clinics and inpatient facilities. We deliver a wide range of services for children, young people and families as well as adults and community services, two community hospitals, services for people with learning disabilities, the internationally recognised West Midlands Rehab Centre and one of Europe’s leading Dental Hospitals and School of Dentistry. We deliver all of this with a commitment to integrated, personalised care that is rooted in our local communities. We have an ambition to deliver outstanding, integrated care as one of the key NHS providers in the West Midlands.

For further details on the job description and main responsibilities, please see the attached documents.

Clinical

1. A lead clinician in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and provides second opinions, specialist advice and support in specialist area to own and other professional services throughout the Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust and the West Midlands Region.

2. Uses specialist knowledge underpinned by current theory and evidence-based practice such as speech, language and communication development and impairment, and child development in order to optimise communication to carry out specialist AAC multi-disciplinary assessments and support of clients in Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust and the West Midlands (a large multi-cultural and multi-lingual population). These are often 2 hour appointments that require sustained concentration.

3. Carry out physical handling procedures for positioning of the limbs and head of a client, to contribute to assessment for access to AAC

4. Manages own caseload of clients with disabilities of a complex nature, requiring tertiary referral, liaison with client, family, carers and professional teams including training and support.

5. Leads in client-centred goal setting and review, with full involvement of the local team (carers, family and professionals).

6. Structures clear intervention plans in highly complex cases, based on best practice, and is able to adapt to individual client needs and priorities.

7. Supports experienced SLTs to problem solve though critical analysis and evaluation for the planning, assessment and management of complex cases where the intervention pathway is not obvious or is open to interpretation.

8. Manages highly complex appointment recognising breakdown or conflict when it occurs and generating solutions, using excellent negotiation skills when liaising with clients, their families and local teams as an expert clinician in AAC.

9. Provide expert advice and consultancy to clients, relatives, carers and other professionals on how to manage issues arising from a client’s communicative disabilities in relation to AAC needs.

10. Records and maintains up-to-date clinical case records including activity data in line with professional standards and Trust policies.

11. Measure outcomes of AAC intervention (techniques, low-tech tools and technology) for clients on own caseload.

12. Writes reports containing highly complex, confidential and sensitive information, which may be used in a legal context, eg. expert witness statements, tribunal reports.

13. Recommends appropriate AAC, which is often electronic assistive technology from a range of high cost devices and accessories. This is purchased from the departmental budget.

14. Sets up the prescribed equipment and ensures this is safe to use and client’s team are trained in its use.

15. Offers intervention in the environment most appropriate to client needs, eg. home, school, college, day services.

16. Management of the telephone referral and advice line, triaging referrals and supporting local teams to enable AAC and Environmental Control needs across the West Midlands.

17. Have a working knowledge of Environmental Control including computer access to be able to triage and support referrals taking for these areas on the referral and helpline.

Professional

1. Complies with standards of professional conduct as laid down by the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).

2. Works within the professional standards of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapy.

3. Identifies and accesses appropriate Continuous Professional Development at least to a level to meet Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and Health and Care Professions Council requirements and practices reflective learning.

Development

1. Engages with the Adult and Specialist Rehabilitation, Trust, Divisional and ACT clinical strategy to ensure that regional and national initiatives and priorities are taken into account.

2. Initiates and leads the development of new ways of working, including service redesign, working in partnership with other leads, the appropriate Trust corporate teams, commissioners, patients and others.

3. Uses expert knowledge to inform service development in specialist area and related areas of clinical need.

4. Integrates knowledge base to anticipate, contribute and respond to future developments in practice and technology.

5. Participates in, and assists to develop and maintain a high level academic and ‘leading edge’ ethos within the department.

6. Formulates ACT Standard Operating Procedures and contributes to Trust, regional and national policy/care pathway developments in specialist area.

7. Leads in interagency and multi-disciplinary projects regarding service objectives in specialist area.

8. Represents ACT on National Working parties in relation to AAC.

9. Leads, promotes and takes an active part in AAC related research projects and clinical developments relevant to the work of the department

10.Initiates, undertakes, and participates in department’s research/audit and clinical governance relevant to specialist area.

11.Analyses, presents and disseminates locally and regionally any findings of research relevant to the specialist area

This advert closes on Thursday 29 Oct 2026

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