19 June 2023
ITV News recently highlighted the pressures in speech and language therapy services and our recent survey on high vacancy rates across the service.
Working with ITV News, we were able to shine a light on our recent recruitment and vacancy survey results and the urgent need for more speech and language therapists to enter the profession. The recent survey revealed that vacancy rates across the UK have reached 23%.
RCSLT chief executive Steve Jamieson explained to ITV News that many children are waiting up to a year to see a speech and language therapists as a result of the workforce crisis.
The news package aired across multiple ITV regions and featured therapists Lauren Flannery, Melanie Packer, Emma Ferris, Ben Bolton-Grant, Jackie Hammerton, and Lisa Morgan. They gave an on the ground perspective, explaining the increasing demand on the profession and the impact it’s having on people with speech, language, and communication needs.
The 6pm news item aired on Friday 16 June on ITV East Midlands, ITV West Midlands, ITV Yorkshire, ITV Anglia, ITV Yorkshire, and ITV Westcountry.
This news piece wouldn’t have been possible without the great response we received to our workforce survey and we encourage people to fill out the next survey when we release it in early July.
