NHS Grampian’s Speech & Language Therapy service is split across seven teams: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Community Child Health, Acute, Mental Health and Adults with Learning Disabilities. These teams work in a range of locations. A few examples include hospital locations, education settings, homes and health centres. The client groups are similarly diverse and span the full range from neonatal infants to end of life care.
I would like to become a Speech & Language Therapist
Practising as a Speech & Language Therapist requires a degree from a recognised institution and registration to practice from the Health and Care Professionals Council. Training in Scotland is available at the University of Strathclyde and Queen Margaret University. Please visit the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists website for details of all HEI courses available.
If you are in S5/S6 and would like to spend some time with the Speech and Language Therapy team for work experience please use the NHS Grampian Work Experience website.
It is also possible for graduates with a relevant degree (biology, psychology or linguistics) to become Speech & Language Therapists. In Scotland, postgraduate training is offered by Queen Margaret University.
I am currently training to be a Speech & Language Therapist
Speech & Language Therapy students seeking a clinical placement with NHS Grampian are warmly welcomed. Please speak to your course co-ordinator in the first instance who can liaise with our Student Co-ordinators.
I am a qualified Speech & Language Therapist and considering a move to Grampian
We are pleased to hear you are interested in joining one of our teams. Vacancies are advertised on the NHS Grampian Recruitment website and updated weekly.
I am a qualified Speech & Language Therapist but it’s been some years since I practised. Am I able to return to work?
NHS Grampian welcome enquiries from Speech & Language Therapists who have allowed their registration to lapse or have had a career break. We are happy to support you to regain registration through supervision and an assessment of your clinical competencies. Detailed below is a list of our Speech & Language Therapy Managers if you wish to have an informal chat about return to practice:
Adult Acute – clare.emerson@nhs.scot
Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership – pamela.cornwallis@nhs.net
Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership – emacpherson@nhs.net
Combined Child Health – mhairi.adams@nhs.scot
Mental Health & Learning Disabilities – fiona.flett@nhs.net
Moray Health & Social Care Partnership – niall.watt@nhs.scot
More information is also available via the Health & Care Professions Council and the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.
Flying Start
Flying Start NHS® is a national development programme for newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. It aims to support your learning and build your confidence during your first year of practice in NHS Scotland. It will do this by assisting you to navigate to the Foundation gateway of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework 'Agenda for Change'. After completing Flying Start NHS® newly qualified practitioners would be expected to participate in ongoing Continuing Professional Development.
Benefits for newly qualified practitioners include:
- Offers a learner-directed solution to finding information and making sense of a complex environment
- Guides and supports the transition from student to qualified practitioner
- Links to the NHS KSF development review cycle
- Supports the development of skills for lifelong learning and CPD
- Offers practical advice on how to manage portfolios and PDPs within NHS Scotland
- Gives access to up to date material, useful websites and national policy and developments
- Decreases feelings of isolation through the on-line forum, Flying Start Community and Ask a Mentor functions
- Draws and builds on the learning skills developed as pre-registration or undergraduate student
- Increased understanding of the role of other health and social care professionals and partners
Effective Practitioner
Effective Practitioner is a national initiative providing work based learning resources and support for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in Scotland. It assists Practitioners and Senior Practitioners to deliver the 2020 vision and meet the Quality Ambitions of Person Centred, Safe and Effective Care. The Effective Practitioner website provides the online foundation for wider work-based support.
Senior AHP Framework
The Senior AHP Framework website provides support and guidance on the education and development needs of Senior AHPs who are leading and managing services or teams. It provides information and support for Senior AHPs at level 6 of The Career Framework for Health, and those aspiring to this level, who have leadership components within their role e.g. Team Leaders.
It also allows Knowledge and Skills Framework reviewers and managers to guide and assist the planning and implementation of leadership skills for their staff and help them develop Personal Development Plans (PDPs).
Skills Maximisation Toolkit
The Skills Maximisation Toolkit allows AHP staff to examine their unique contributions to the patient journey, and to ask which aspects could best be managed by others. The exercise has been developed into the skills maximisation process. It can be used by AHPs and other staff to identify adjustments that make optimum use of staff with various levels of qualification.
The toolkit guides you through 3 stages:
- Clarifying the patient journey
- Capturing uniqueness
- Creating improvement