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

An essential dimension of doctoral study is the involvement and input of supervisors. This blog post discusses the nature and purpose of doctoral supervision, and introduces the supervisors involved in the WAIT-UP SLT project. What is doctoral supervision? Guarimata-Salinas et al. (2024) define a doctoral supervisor as: "t he person who accompanies the doctoral candidate throughout the thesis development process , taking an active role and fulfilling the following functions: they oversee and provides general direction to the doctoral candidate’s research process , ensuring that thesis objectives are met and maintaining work quality. They offer guidance and leadership during thesis development, ensuring adherence to guidelines and desired outcomes. Additionally, they provide advice and support in research design and execution, ensuring the doctoral candidate stays on track. They also take a leadership and motivational role, inspiring progress and ensuring efficient resources and t...

Today the Government has been celebrating significant reduction in waiting lists, with ' waiting lists in 20 areas falling three times faster than the national average '.  But behind the headlines lies an uncomfortable question: Who is being counted? And who is being left out? The 'Further Faster 20' programme sits within the Government's elective reform plan which ' covers a broad range of planned, non-emergency services including tests, scans, outpatient appointments, surgery and cancer treatment '.  Siva Anandaciva, Director of Policy, Events and Partnerships at The King's Fund has said : "It is a good thing that waiting lists in parts of England are coming down. But the reality check is that the overall hospital waiting list in England stood at 7.5 million last year and has only fractionally fallen to 7.4 million despite a full year of funding, energy and focus from the government and NHS. While progress is happening, it is slow going and the go...