The government doesn’t know how many speech and language therapists are working in council services ahead of the rollout of its new experts at hand service, a minister has admitted schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-in-the-d...

The latest data from NHS England shows that 66,303 children and young people were waiting for a first Speech and Language Therapy appointment in England in May 2026. Children and families deserve timely access to the Speech and Language Therapy services they need.

Delighted to be at the beautiful Birmingham Botanical Gardens this morning to spread the word about WAIT-UP SLT, as well as learn about the range of projects being carried out by Nursing and Midwifery colleagues at @mybcu.bsky.social (including my brilliant supervisor Kerry Gaskin)

NEW POST: SEND reforms and the forgotten children at risk of exclusion. Justina Asafu-Adjaye, says any honest assessment of SEND reform must begin with the system as it exists now, not the one being imagined in policy language. www.specialneedsjungle.com/send-reforms...

😊 Also fantastic to see two speech and language therapists who have supported the RCSLT's policy and influencing work over many years receiving honours in The King's Birthday Honours. 🏅 Elaine Kelman MBE 🏅 Janet Cooper BEM 🎉 Congrats to them! 🧵 2/ www.gov.uk/government/p...

😊 Fantastic to see that Mikey was awarded an MBE in The King's Birthday Honours. 🎉Huge congratulations from all of us at the RCSLT, Mikey. 🙏🏻🙏🏾🙏🏿 Thanks for all you do, including in support of our policy and influencing work. 🧵 1/

Have you experienced waiting for children's speech and language therapy services in England in the last 4 years? Parents and caregivers are invited to complete a short anonymous survey: app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitup...

Great new blog from @thekingsfund.bsky.social highlighting the importance of attending to the experience of waiting, alongside the length of the wait.

Despite national efforts to reduce waiting times, many children and families continue to wait for speech and language therapy support. This latest infographic explores the scale of waiting for children's speech and language therapy in England.

Change is coming for NHS community health services in England. The Medium Term Planning framework and associated guidance sets the following targets for the end of 2028-29: - 80% of community health service waits to be less than 18 weeks - Waits over 1 year to have been eliminated

📢 New #WaitUpSLT blog post: What does the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework mean for SLT? In this post, I look at: ✓ What the framework is ✓ What it says about community services ✓ What it might mean for children and families / SLT services 🔗 waitupslt.blogspot.com/2026/05/what...

Children's speech and language therapy waiting lists in England continue to grow. In March 2026: • 67,337 children and young people were waiting for speech and language therapy • 17,345 had been waiting between 18 and 52 weeks • 1,196 had been waiting over two years

Children's speech and language therapy waiting lists in England continue to grow. In March 2026: • 67,337 children and young people were waiting for speech and language therapy • 17,345 had been waiting between 18 and 52 weeks • 1,196 had been waiting over two years

Time is running out. The #SEND consultation closes at 11.59pm tomorrow (Monday 18th). Please take the time to respond if you can. The more of us who respond, the harder we are to ignore. #SaveSENDLegalRights #NotInOurName #StrongerTogether www.facebook.com/share/v/1CxC...#SEND#SaveSENDLegalRights

📰 RCSLT responds to the UK Govt's plan to make schools more inclusive by design. ✅ We welcome the ambition. ❌ Physical spaces alone are not enough. 🚨 Schools need access to more speech and language therapists, working across the whole school. 🔽 See our full response below.

"Children across the country are waiting far too long for the community care they desperately need. For the families affected, it can feel like life is on hold while they're stuck waiting for support." Read the article: mag.nationalhealthexecutive.com/issue-106-q4/p…

New blog post: Meet the WAIT-UP SLT team: Doctoral Supervisors waitupslt.blogspot.com/2026/01/meet...

Thousands of children facing 'catastrophic' waits for NHS community care: "Tiya Currie's six-year-old son, Arun...had difficulties with his speech since he was just a toddler. But when Tiya...tried to get help she faced "waiting list after waiting list", she said." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New #WaitUpSLT blog post: Waiting Lists Are Falling - But Not for Children Who Need Speech and Language Therapy waitupslt.blogspot.com/2026/01/wait...

On 7 Jan 2026 @andrewlewinmp.bsky.social tabled a written Q asking DHSC what steps are being taken to reduce waiting. @karinsmythmp.bsky.social acknowleged "how important it is to patients and clinicians that they receive and deliver treatment faster" but no mention of svs beyond elective care.

"If we want to fix admin, we need to ask admin staff as well as patients what the solutions might be." From Julia Cream at The Kings Fund www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-...

As I close down for the holiday period, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has engaged with #WaitUpSLT since we launched in the Summer. I'm really grateful to everyone who has supported the project so far and look forward to seeing how it develops in 2026!

Will you help shape the future of the SEND system? The Government wants to hear from parents, specialists and educators like you to help fix the SEND crisis. Together, we can press SEND on a future where every voice is heard. Fill out the survey today: https://bit.ly/4plnZt7

💥 BREAKING NEWS: RCSLT responds to 'Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty'. ✅ We welcome the Child Poverty Strategy. 🚨 As the Govt implements it, it is essential that services and support are accessible. ➡️ See our response in full: www.rcslt.org/wp-content/u...

If you are considering signing up for a research project to share your lived experience, go for it! I joined several & they have given me amazing experiences including speaking at the RCSLT conference & NAPLIC + meeting incredible people raising awareness & improving the lives of people with #DLD.

This morning we hit 2,000 views on the #WaitUpSLT blog! Many thanks as always for the interest and engagement and if you haven't already seen it, you can find it here: waitupslt.blogspot.com?m=1

Tomorrow we'll be hosting the first meeting of our parent and caregivers' advisory group. Here's a reminder of how expert voices will shape #WaitUpSLT #research ⤵️ waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/07/phas...

Thank you @stamma.bsky.social for the opportunity to present about #WaitUpSLT at the Research Arena this morning. Huge thanks to Kirsten Howells for being a superb facilitator and to all the attendees for their thoughtful feedback and questions ⭐

ICYMI: Introducing Waiting and Access in Therapy - Understanding Perspectives in Speech and Language Therapy (WAIT-UP SLT) - Blog post #WaitUpSLT #Research waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/07/intr...

New #WaitUpSLT blog post: What to do if you are unhappy with the wait for children's speech and language therapy in England. waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/11/what...

Bit of DHealthing this afternoon with my little helper. @waitupslt.bsky.social #AcademicTwitter

"In September 2024, more than 64,000 children in England were waiting for SLT... Behind each number is a child struggling to communicate in the classroom, a young adult trying to rebuild their life after a brain injury..." @sureenawne.bsky.social at the #InvestInSLT debate on 27 Jan 2025

"Many people, especially those from disadvantaged communities, live in areas where services are scarce and where waiting times are long. That can exacerbate some of the issues faced by those communities, as well as the individuals affected." Dave Robertson at the #InvestInSLT debate on 27/01/25

📺 You can watch @gillianrudd.bsky.social's oral evidence to the Modernisation Committee on behalf of the #InclusiveParliament coalition on the link below. 2/2 www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

🚨 #InclusiveParliament coalition update 📨 Great for RCSLT to see @gillianrudd.bsky.social's letter to the Modernisation Committee after her oral evidence has been published: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide... 📰 There's more in STAMMA's news story: stamma.org/about-us/new... 1/

"We need increased investment to reduce waiting times and to ensure that every child, no matter their background, gets the support they need." @shockatadam.bsky.social at the #InvestInSLT Speech and Language Therapy debate on 27 January 2025

The first #WaitUpSLT project advisory group meetings take place next month and it's not too late to join us. If you'd like to read more about the project, the #WaitUpSLT blog is a good place to start: waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/07/intr... Please share to help spread the word 🙏

NEW GIVEAWAY: We have THREE copies of this important book to give away. @catrionamoore.bsky.social reviews Understanding Parent Blame: Institutional failure and complex trauma by Prof. Luke Clements and Dr Ana Laura Aiello www.specialneedsjungle.com/u...

The first #WaitUpSLT project advisory group meetings take place next month and it's not too late to join us. If you'd like to read more about the project, the #WaitUpSLT blog is a good place to start: waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/07/intr... Please share to help spread the word 🙏

New #WaitUpSLT blog article: What To Do Whilst You're Waiting for Speech and Language Therapy for Your Child waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/11/what...

Children and families accessing speech and language therapy don't just experience waiting for first appointments - many experience further waits for therapy and support as described in this @itsmylondon.bsky.social article ⤵️. www.mylondon.news/news/south-l...

Thank you everyone who has visited the #WaitUpSLT blog since it launched in the Summer. This week we passed 1,500 views! waitupslt.blogspot.com?m=1

"Recruitment is one side of the coin, but retention is the other." During the #InvestInSLT debate on 27 Jan 2025, Dave Robertson, MP for Lichfield, recognised the issues with burnout, insufficient support and unsustainable workloads in speech and language therapy.

Mark Dickinson @nasuwt-official.bsky.social "highlighted the consequences of cuts to children’s services, including the lack of early intervention, long waiting lists for speech and language therapy...These services are not luxuries. They are the safety net that allows every child to thrive.”

NEW POST: Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are the most common issues experienced by children. Today’s article, from Gillian Rudd at @mybcu.bsky.social offers a guide for choosing a speech and language therapist for your child with #SEND www.specialneedsjungle.com/c... #SEND#SENDsky

😍 Am so proud of the #InvestInSLT home-team for being shortlisted for 'Best Lobbying Campaign' at today's Memcom Excellence Awards. ❤️ Thanks to everyone who made it possible. ➡️ You can read more about why we've been shortlisted here: www.memcom.org.uk/blog/success...

🚨 Check out this update on the #InvestInSLT campaign and the non-update (😔) on the SLT Action Plan. #WaitUpSLT waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/09/miss...

New blog post: Where is the UK Government action plan for speech and language therapy services? waitupslt.blogspot.com/2025/09/miss...

Opportunity to join research advisory groups! WAIT-UP SLT is seeking expressions of interest from: 👥 parents and caregivers: app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitup... 👥 individuals working within speech and language therapy services: app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitup... Please share 🙏

The #WaitUPSLT blog has now been viewed over 500 times! Thank you for your continued interest and engagement. 🙏🌟 #Research #ResearchOpportunity waitupslt.blogspot.com?m=1