Waiting and Access in Therapy - Understanding Perspectives in SLT (#WaitUpSLT)

  Earlier this year, the UK government committed to developing an action plan to address long ‐ standing concerns about the availability of speech and language therapy. As a community we were hopeful that families and professionals had finally been heard and that change was coming. But as the months have passed, the promised plan still hasn’t materialised. The background Speech and language therapy has long been considered a ‘postcode lottery’, with too many people unable to access timely and effective support. Even before the pandemic, only 15% of respondents to a 2018 survey by I CAN and RCSLT felt that SLT was available for children and young people as required. Although the issues are longstanding, the situation has been further exacerbated by the pandemic, with services disrupted by staff sickness, difficulties accessing children and families and staff redeployment. Already recognised pre-pandemic as a shortage profession , SLT service managers have reported ...

  Earlier this month  NHS England (2025)  released the June 2025 waiting list figures for Community Health Services. Despite assurances last month heralding  a bold package of reforms , waiting lists have increased, with 325,902 children and young people now waiting for community health services (up from 318,867 in May 2025; a 2.21% increase). The number of children and young people waiting for speech and language therapy (SLT) support has increased by 3.69% , from 68,185 in May 2025 to 70,698 in June 2025. Data on waiting times for community health services has only been publicly shared since 2023 and reviewing this enables us to see trends across a year, as well as consider areas of progress and concern. As can be seen in figure 1, there seems to be a general trend for numbers of children and young people waiting to drop over the Summer months, perhaps associated with reduced referrals from educational settings during this time. The number of children and young peo...

  What is a research advisory group, and why should I get involved? A research advisory group is made up of people with lived experience who work alongside researchers to help guide and shape a project. By getting involved, you’ll have the chance to: ·        Influence how the research is designed and carried out —especially research focused on the views of speech and language therapy colleagues, children, and young people. ·        Be part of a  co-productive approach , where researchers and participants work together as equal partners. ·        Connect with others  who care about similar issues. ·        Learn more about how research works  and how your insights can make it better. Research is stronger and more meaningful when the people it affects are involved in shaping it - and that’s exactly what advisory groups are for. Wh...

What is a research advisory group, and why should I get involved? A research advisory group is made up of people with lived experience who work alongside researchers to help guide and shape a project. By getting involved, you’ll have the chance to: Influence how the research is designed and carried out—especially research focused on the views of parents, caregivers, children, and young people. Be part of a co-productive approach, where researchers and participants work together as equal partners. Connect with others who care about similar issues. Learn more about how research works and how your insights can make it better. Research is stronger and more meaningful when the people it affects are involved in shaping it - and that’s exactly what advisory groups are for. Who can take part? For this phase of the research, I’m looking for adults who: Are a parent or caregiver to a child or young person with communication and/or swallowing needs. You might be a biological...

In short? Not a lot. In the recently released 171-page NHS 10-Year Health Plan, ‘speech and language’ is mentioned just three times . Of those, only one refers directly to speech and language therapy (SLT); the other two relate to broader speech and language support. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) fare only slightly better, with eight mentions - most of which speak in general terms about the value AHPs bring to healthcare and patient outcomes. (See all relevant excerpts below). In contrast, there are 60 references to waiting , including 11 specific references to 'waiting lists' and 8 references to 'waiting time'. The topic is centred through the publication, evidenced in the foreword by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer who writes: It is no exaggeration to say that we inherited an NHS facing the worst crisis in its history. Across the country, people are stuck on waiting lists for years on end . Our fabulous NHS staff let down by endless bureaucracy. And a society tha...

Research should be designed and carried out in partnership with the communities that it seeks to represent.  WAIT-UP SLT therefore adopts a participatory research approach, centring the value of genuine and meaningful participation and direct collaboration with those affected by the issue under consideration  (Vaughn and Jacquez, 2020); in this instance: 1. children and young people 2. parents and caregivers  3.  individuals working within speech and language therapy teams .  A key element of the participatory research approach within WAIT-UP SLT is the recruitment of advisory groups  who will act as partners, inputting into the design, delivery, evaluation and dissemination of the project. What does being an advisory group member involve? You would be asked to attend online meetings with me and other advisory group members to discuss how the research should be designed, carried out, evaluated and shared. The meetings would take place over Microsoft Teams ...