Head of Speech and Language Therapy

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Head of Speech and Language Therapy The closing date is 10 March 2026

Are you a passionate and experienced Speech and Language Therapistlooking for an exciting

leadership opportunity? We are seeking a compassionate and dynamicHead of Service for Speech

and Language Therapy, where your expertise and strategic visionwill shape

the delivery of care for children, young people, adults andfamilies across South Tyneside and Sunderland.

In this role, you'll provide guidance, leadership, and support toa talented team, helping to deliver high quality Speech and Language Therapy, ChildrensOccupational Therapy and Childrens

Physiotherapy Services.

If you're looking for a role where you can make a real difference,lead with warmth, and work alongside a supportive and caring team, we'd love tohear from you!

You will be a passionate, dynamic and motivated clinical leaderwith a strong knowledge of the

Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)and Childrens IntegratedTherapies (CIT)

landscape. You will be a visible and compassionate leader who issolution-focused, able to work

effectively as part of a team, and able to identify and leadchange to maximise opportunities.

You will be a voice and champion for the SaLT and CIT team,working with staff and other Heads of Service to ensure they are closelyintegrated with the other clinical teams.

You will work closely with Directorate Manager, Clinical Directorfor Therapies and other Heads of Service

across the Directorate, supporting with senior leadership tasks.

Main duties of the job Youwill provide strategic and professionalleadership across Speech and Language Therapy (Adults andChildren) and Childrens Integrated Therapies (Childrens Occupational Therapyand Childrens physiotherapy)services for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT),workingwith the Clinical Leads to plan, implement and monitor service delivery ofhighly specialist,evidencebased care across the Trust.

-Youwill as Professional Head of Speech & Language Therapy, will have professional responsibilityand accountability for Speech & Language Therapists.

-Youwill as Professional Lead represent Speech and Language Therapy and ChildrensTherapies in all relevantinternal meetings with Senior Managers, Clinical Directors and externallyincluding partnerorganisations,HEIs, commissioners and across the wider South Tyneside and Sunderlandfootprint

- Youwill maintain a clinical role as an expert practitioner in their specialistclinical area and level of practice(specialist, advance practice, consultant level).

Youwill be expected to have a clear understanding of how this post contributes tothe achievementof the trust vision of delivering Excellence in All That We Do. STSFT is athriving FoundationTrust at the heart of an integrated healthcare system that delivers improvedpatient careat a community and hospital settings. STSFT encourages research, education andemployee engagement.We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust.

About us Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Looking after our workforces health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.If you use AI,and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, wemay withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job responsibilities

• To be responsible for the overall management, leadership, strategic planning and development and delivery of Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) and Childrens Therapies within and out with the organisation.
• To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership along with professional clinical leadership.
• To work in partnership with key managers/staff within and out with the Directorate to ensure that quality patient services are provided.
• To be professionally accountable for the direct delivery of clinical services.
• To be accountable for the continuous professional development of the service.
• To provide advice and expertise to Therapy Services and the Trust to enable the delivery of appropriate and effective services.
• To provide clear professional leadership to staff to enable patient-centred delivery of care, modernisation and service development
• To be responsible for the development of safe, evidence based working practices and policies for an area within Therapy Services.
• To formulate long-term strategic plans for an area within Therapy Services addressing local regional and national influences.
• To prepare realistic and achievable forward looking business plans in line with the strategic planning of the Trust.
• To develop new ways of working and new roles in order to develop the capacity and capability of the workforce.
• To ensure and facilitate a culture of research and development activity.
• To work with and influence a range or organisations to ensure partnership working.
• To ensure the delivery of a programme of undergraduate and post-graduate education.
• To be responsible for the implementation of Clinical Governance within the service and the development of an annual forward plan.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner, devising and delivering specialised programmes of care.
• To maintain registration with the Health Care Professions Council.
• To motivate and encourage staff particularly in times of sustained pressure e.g. equipment breakdowns, staff shortages and capacity shortages
• Responsible for leading workforce and service developments and redesign, as appropriate, to ensure service to patients is delivered to highest professional standards and in line with best practice
• Responsible for ensuring that all practices, legal, ethical and professional are adhered to within the service and where necessary appropriately challenge these practices.
• PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR FULL DUTIES OF THE ROLE

Person Specification Skills

• Innovative problem solving/analytical skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including being able to communicate effectively across all disciplines clinical and managerial and at all levels
• Strategic vision and planning skills and the ability to explore imaginative ways of optimising use of resources
• Ability to lead and embed change
• Visible and supportive leadership style. With the capability, confidence, temperament and self-motivation to see projects through to completion
• Experience of planning and service development in a complex organisation resulting in improvements in delivery or practice
• Able to negotiate, persuade and influence at a senior level with executive management, consultants, external stakeholders and other groups on highly complex, sensitive and contentious issues

Experience

• Experience, knowledge and proven track record of delivery in managing and developing a range of diverse and complex operational services.
• Experience of managing a complex and demanding workload.
• Ability to translate strategic plans into operation reality.
• Experience of successfully leading professional groups.
• Able to condense multiple and often conflicting information sources into simple formats
• Experience of effective partnership and collaborative working
• Experience of workforce planning and development

Physical Skills

• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.

Qualifications

• Possess highly developed specialist knowledge acquired through formal qualifications and/or relevant specialist experience in practice equivalent to Masters level.
• Relevant degree in Speech and Language Therapy.
• Registration with HCPC
• Proven management experience at a senior level including dealing with a range of HR matters, financial management, project management, change management, management information systems, governance and recognised leadership qualification or willing to work towards.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check 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.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

£64,455 to £74 . click apply for full job details