Speech and Language Therapy Advanced Practitioner

Main area 60% Home working 40% Office working Grade 8a Contract 12 months (Fixed Term contract for 12 months) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 942-SLTAP-01-EXT

Employer NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Wellington Town Shropshire/Telford Salary £57,528 - £64,750 PA Salary period Yearly Closing 29/10/ :59 Interview date 06/11/2026

Speech and Language Therapy Advanced Practitioner

8a

Job overview

STW and SSOT ICB Cluster are searching for a Speech and Language Therapy Advanced Practitioner, as part of their work towards achieving the requirements in the National SEND reforms. This role will be aligned to the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin ICB footprint. This is a strategic, population level, clinical Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) role focused on strengthening the SaLT workforce for education settings and system improvement. Operating across education, SEND local area partnerships and Integrated Care System in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (STW).

This exciting role forms a core part of the Experts at Hand initiative in the Government's SEND Reforms. Experts at Hand is designed to deliver earlier, needs-led access to multidisciplinary specialist support within mainstream education settings through integrated working between local authorities, ICBs and providers.

SaLT Advanced Practitioners will work strategically within local SEND partnerships, linking with the integrated care boards, local authorities, health providers, parent carer forums and education settings, as well as local universities offering speech and language therapy qualification routes.

This is a fixed term role for 12 months from commencement with the possibility of transition to a more permanent role. (Secondment options will be considered).

Main duties of the job

The SaLT Advanced Practitioner (SaLT AP) will:

• Provide strategic, population-level clinical SaLT leadership to improve outcomes for children and young people (0–25) with speech, language and communication needs
• Strengthen the SaLT workforce pipeline across education settings through placements, apprenticeships and educator/supervisor/mentor capacity and capability
• Increase access to SaLT expertise within mainstream education
• Provide strategic, population-level SaLT leadership within the ICB footprint to enable delivery of SEND reform.
• Work in partnership with commissioners and local SEND partnerships to support evidence-informed commissioning, service planning and system oversight, including contribution to local area SEND inspections

This role is explicitly aligned to the NHSE Multi ‑ professional Framework for Advanced Practice (2025) The role requires effective working with education settings, local authorities and SEND partnerships, NHS and independent providers, Designated Clinical Officers, universities/training providers, Parent Carer Forums and CYP participation groups. A strong focus on co-production and inclusive system design is a core principle of the role.

Working for our organisation

• Improving outcomes in population health and care
• Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access
• Enhancing productivity and value for money
• Helping the NHS to support broader social and economic development.

Please note that the Cluster ICB has consulted with its workforce on changes to contractual base locations and hybrid working arrangements and is implementing a consistent hybrid working model across the Cluster. The new arrangements are intended to support closer and more collaborative working across the Cluster ICB, through a consistent approach to hybrid working and the use of designated office locations.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The SaLT AP will work to increase access to high-quality SaLT expertise within mainstream education settings. They will:

• Build a sustainable SaLT workforce in education by working with training providers and mainstream education settings to expand trainee placements in education settings, develop supervision models and SaLT career pathways to mainstream education settings.
• Strengthen inclusive mainstream education by working with delivery partners and mainstream settings to enable earlier identification and support for speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), improving pupil outcomes and educational participation.
• Operate as a strategic leader, they will work with education settings, local authorities and other SEND partners to support the delivery of SEND reform.
• Use data, system insight and evaluation to, shape scalable, solutions to develop SaLT workforce pipeline for mainstream education settings and system development.

The principal responsibilities are aligned to the Four Pillars of Advanced Practice:

1: Education, Training and Workforce Development

Provide innovative strategic clinical leadership and influence for education and workforce development.

2: Professional Leadership

Operate as a system leader across education, health and care.

3: Expert Clinical Practice

Provide senior clinical expertise and system-level clinical leadership in SLCN.

4: Research, Audit and Improvement

Provide strategic leadership for evaluation, audit and quality improvement.

Person specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Educated to master’s level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area HCPC registered Speech and Language Therapist Evidence of advanced level practice aligned to NHSE framework (or working towards this) Commitment to achieve MSc Advanced Practice (relevant to the sector) or NHSE portfolio if not already held. Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development Member of a relevant professional body / RCSLT membership Leadership, education or system development qualifications

Specialist knowledge

• Significant experience of and clinical expertise in SaLT practice and working with CYP in education settings (0–25) Experience of working with CYP with a broad range of need Experience of workforce development (students, apprentices, support roles) Experience of co-production with CYP and families Experience and understanding of SEND Reform, mainstream schools and education systems.
• Experience developing placements or apprenticeships. Experience in SEND system improvement Awareness of and experience in population level health approaches and emerging policy Experience of working with a broad range of mainstream education settings Knowledge of workforce development models and commissioning

Leadership & Strategic experience

• Proven and significant leadership experience. Evidence of system-level working and leadership Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
• Understanding of governance and quality assurance frameworks

Role specific skills

• Advanced clinical expertise in SEND and education settings Strong system leadership and influencing capability. Strong influencing and partnership skills Ability to work across organisational boundaries and manage complexity. Ability to lead learning, supervision and culture change

Communication Skills

• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups Negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change Negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change. Skilled communicator with diverse audiences

Planning Skills

• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium, and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
• Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Name Cath Marsland Job title Associate Director of Nursing and Quality Email address