21 November 2023
We have been asking all RCSLT members to login to the website to tell us more about yourselves and your career journey. This information is helping to drive forward our ambitions for an equal, diverse and inclusive profession as well as inform and strengthen our policy and influencing work.
We have analysed a recent set of over 4k members’ data out of a potential 22,000 members and here are the key findings.
Not everyone completed all the aspects of the member profile. For example just over 3k members completed the working life data (not including students / retired as not relevant to them).
Some of the results confirm what we already know, for example the high number of members who work with children and young people. Likewise, out of those who have completed their profile, 70% of members work in the NHS with 59% working in bands 5-6 and 25% band 7.
In terms of working patterns, 57% of members work fulltime and 41% work part-time. 1% of members said they work on a zero hours contract. 78% of those who responded are on permanent contracts.
What is very clear is that we have a lot of work to do to diversify the profession and it is going to be a long slow road. 95% of members are female and 90% of members are white. 14% of members have a disability, difficulty or difference. 88% described themselves as heterosexual and 5% of people are bisexual.
Next steps
Equality, diversity and inclusion is a central theme of our vision, along with a commitment to embedding anti-racism, and an explicit recognition of the role of SLTs in tackling health inequalities.
We will be using this data to support the delivery of the objectives in this vision, including supporting the whole SLT workforce.
We will be using this intelligence to lobby nationally around workforce issues, such as addressing recruitment difficulties you are all facing and to help inform our work and strengthen our case for funding and resources. The more complete our member data is the more weight will be attached to our lobbying activity.
How you can help
Do you recognise yourself or your service in this data? We need to ensure we have an accurate picture of the profession, so if you haven’t filled in your member profile, please do so. Likewise if your role or personal information has recently changed, please update your profile to keep the information current.
Get involved
In addition to completing your member profile, there are many ways to become more involved in RCSLT’s work to support the profession. There are several diversity groups, the anti-racism reference group, the Men in SLT group, the LGBTQIA+ group, the disability working group and the neurodiversity working group. Team leaders can also contribute to our regular vacancies survey, this enables us to lobby on your behalf and make the case for better support for SLTs and services. Keep a look out for further opportunities over the next 12 months. There are also regular vacancies on our Committees and the Board of Trustees.
