Quick trip to London for #InvestInSLT this weekend. Follow @mikeys-wish.bsky.social @peterdjust.bsky.social for updates!

Children's early development at risk with year-long NHS waits A quarter of the 300,000 children waiting for community NHS care have spent more than a year waiting.

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...

Waiting Lists Are Falling - But Not for Children Who Need Speech and Language Therapy Today the Government has been celebrating significant reduction in waiting lists, with ' waiting lists in 20 areas falling three times faste...

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.

RCSLT warns new Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy fails to address communication barriers | RCSLT

🚨 The RCSLT responds to the Home Office's Freedom from Violence and Abuse strategy.

✅ We support the strategy's ambition to reduce violence against women and girls.

❌ We are very concerned it fails to reference communication support.

📰 Full story below.
www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-w...

Online Flipbook Created with the Heyzine flipbook maker

The Lily Mae Foundation supported me through the worst of times and I will be forever grateful. I'm therefore honoured to have served as a Trustee for them since Summer 2024 and to have contributed to the development of our 2024-25 Impact Report ⬇️. #BabyLoss
heyzine.com/flip-book/48...

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.

"If we're angry, it's because we're worried about our child"
"Coproduction leads to better services, it shouldn't be a tick box".

Important reminders from Diana Boyd at the @nhselect.bsky.social CYP SLT Improvement Forum encouraging practitioners to reflect on how svs are experienced by families.

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 ⭐

RCSLT briefing on domestic abuse and speech and language therapy.

🚨 Today, Richard Quigley MP has a debate on protecting children from domestic abuse.

📋 The RCSLT's newly published briefing on domestic abuse and speech and language therapy highlights the links between domestic abuse and speech, language, and communication:
www.rcslt.org/policy-and-i...

What a privilege to be chairing two brilliant #RCSLTConf25 sessions today on:
⭐ Paediatric assessment and intervention with @vanigupta.bsky.social, Steph Scott and Dr Jenna Charlton
⭐ Working with people who stammer with Sarah Caughter and Dr Ronan Miller (and me)

“Speech and language therapists break down communication barriers, unlocking learning, inclusion, and opportunity for every child. They play a critical role in early intervention for children and young people.” Georgia Gould, education minister, September 2025

Quote by Dr Zubir Ahmed, UK Minister for Health Innovation and Safety, November 2025: ‘We recognise the impact that long waits to access speech and language and occupational therapy can have on the individual, their families and carers. We are working closely with NHS England to improve access to community health services and on actions to reduce long waits for people of all ages.’

Quote by Baroness Merron, UK Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health, November 2025: ‘The Government recognises the important role that speech and language therapy services play in supporting people to overcome health and social barriers and enhancing overall quality of life.’

Extract on guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury: ‘Improved speech, language and communication may also increase participation in education and employment offering broader social and economic benefits.’

🚨With the Budget just a day away, some quotes from ministers and NICE over the past few months which kind of highlight why the Govt needs to #InvestInSLT and publish its SLT Action Plan.

1/

What to do if you are unhappy with the wait for children's speech and language therapy (SLT) In the last blog post, I talked about what to do whilst waiting for speech and language therapy for your child . I hope that the recommended...

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...

📋 You can read the RCSLT's written evidence to the @hlautismactcom.parliament.uk on the link below.

2/2

committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...

New autism strategy must deliver change for autistic people - Committees - UK Parliament This is the key conclusion reached by the House of Lords special inquiry committee on the Autism Act 2009 in its report ‘Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy’.&...

🚨 The @hlautismactcom.parliament.uk has published its report.

🔍 The RCSLT's analysing the report but we're pleased to see:
1⃣ our evidence on speech, language, and communication quoted
2⃣ echoes of our #InclusiveParliament work

1/

committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...

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

On the right hand side of the picture is the official photo of Sureena Brackenridge, MP, smiling and looking at the camera and wearing a white top with a red blazer. On the left side is a quote that reads: "In September 2024, more than 64,000 children in England were waiting for speech and language therapy. In my Wolverhampton North East constituency, children and families are facing unacceptable delays and limited access. Behind each number is a child struggling to communicate in the classroom, a young adult trying to rebuild their life after a brain injury, or a stroke survivor who feels isolated because their voice has been taken away." Sureena Brackenridge, MP, at the Speech and Language Therapy debate on 27 Jan 2025

"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

Brilliant - congratulations! 🎉

A PowerPoint slide featuring Peter Bradley.

😊 As we always say, RCSLT couldn't do our policy & influencing work without our members or people who have had speech and language therapy. So, it's great to hear from Peter Bradley at the start of our all staff day, about his experiences and work with RCSLT Northern Ireland.

Parliamentlive.tv Modernisation Committee

📺 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/...

Screenshot of a letter from Gillian Rudd to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee in July 2025 highlighting how Parliament can be made more accessible to people who sign or have communication disability, difficulty, or difference.

🚨 #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/

Coffee Mornings for Dead Children: Britain’s Hospice Funding Crisis. Elisa died on 4th January, around 10pm at Naomi House hospice. I want to focus on the moments between being told she was dying and her…

Coffee mornings for dead kids.
"Hospice care isn’t just about dignity at the end of life (though that should be enough). It’s about crisis prevention, family preservation, and economic sense."
A beautiful and important piece from Dan McEvoy
medium.com/p/coffee-mor...

Expert in UK charity structures and law | Reach Volunteering

We're looking for a short-term volunteer with expertise in UK charity structures and law to help offer advice and practical support. Apply via Reach Volunteering reachvolunteering.org.uk/opp...

"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.

SNJ Report: The casual bias and daily discrimination faced by disabled children and t...

In 2022, SNJ carried out research into the experiences of families from ethnic and marginalised communities when asking for support for their disabled children. The results were very concerning: www.specialneedsjungle.com/c...

@mikeys-wish.bsky.social @peterdjust.bsky.social @fewtrella1.bsky.social

"How do the Government intend to alleviate pressure in this area? Do they intend to fund more places, especially at the university level? These are complex issues, and highly skilled people are needed."
@saqibbhattimp.bsky.social at the #InvestInSLT Speech and Language Therapy debate on 27 Jan 2025

💜What does it mean if your sibling has DLD?
This books explains a diagnosis & gives them words to explain it to others.
💛 Looks at skills they have as a sibling & how to look after themselves.
💜 Available via online retailers.
My brother has DLD amzn.eu/d/8Hyb20V
My sister has DLD amzn.eu/d/dbF0oIT

Kelly Williams is now sharing her experiences of stroke and aphasia and finding support and community at @mybcu.bsky.social She praises the help she has received from @claireslt.bsky.social and #SLTatBCU students. "6 years later I realise I still have a voice". #SLTeaParty

Barry Butterworth is now sharing his experiences of stroke, aphasia and accessing speech and language therapy. He talks about his role at @mybcu.bsky.social as an Expert by Experience and praises the work of @claireslt.bsky.social particularly.
#SLTeaParty