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 ...
WAIT-UP SLT is a research project that seeks to understand experiences of waiting within children's speech and language therapy services in England, specifically looking at the perspectives of a) speech and language therapy teams, b) parents and caregivers and c) children and young people. I will be using this blog to share views, news and updates, as well as to connect with others who might be interested in this topic. All opinions are my own.