Speech and Language Therapists Speak of “Crisis” Facing Midlands NHS Services.

More than 75,000 children are on the waiting list for NHS therapy in England as of May this year, an all time high according to NHS England. For children with communication difficulties, speech and language therapy is a crucial part of their education and development.

A collection of tools speech therapists use to aid communication.

Alongside the increasing demand for therapy, in recent years the NHS has struggled with staffing, with a recent report from the Royal Society of Speech and Language Therapists finding that 16% of NHS roles are vacant.

A speech and language therapist who works in the Midlands described the issues the service is facing. 

“We’re neglecting so many kids and it’s completely out of our control,”

“Everybody is just trying their very hardest but we’re being stretched to the limits.”

Speech and language therapy plays an essential role in supporting the learning of children with special educational needs. The specialist support therapists provide is vital to enhancing these children’s future prospects.

More than 60% of children in the criminal justice system have speech, language and communication needs. Not receiving support at a young age can have significant long term impacts.

"Communication is the biggest factor in determining where you’ll end up in life.” 

“If you take away a child’s potential to express themself, understand the world around them, build relationships, and access a curriculum, we know that all the evidence states that those children are more likely to end up in low income situations, the youth justice system.”

This therapist spoke on the troubles it causes her: “It’s hard when you love the job, it’s hard when you love the role, but our caseloads are ridiculous, you don't get to do the work you thought you'd ever get to do”

“The referrals don't stop, the need is ever growing, so I don't know what the answer is, but I think it's a national crisis.”

Real-terms spending on speech and language services has decreased in three out of five areas of the country, including in the Midlands. Local authority spending in the Midlands in this area is under £1 per child according to a study for the children's commissioner.

For support that can be, “the difference between achieving and not achieving,” speech and language therapists are feeling the pressure to perform. 

“You’re like, I don't know whether I can cope working in the NHS when no one seems to care that we’re in this position, I don't see anyone in upper levels of management panicking the way we have been panicking”

With NHS funding being stretched to its limits, many families turn to private speech therapy when the service is not up to standard.

For some families, this is the only chance for a child to be seen by the same therapist with any frequency.

For this therapist, who does some private cases alongside her NHS work, her private work is a place where she “actually gets to make a difference and have that lasting impact with the kids.”

Another Midlands-based therapist spoke about how challenging it can be to be a speech and language therapist.

“The demand on the service is huge and it's difficult to meet that demand. There is just not enough time and therapists to meet the demand.”

She spoke about the effort therapists put in despite the overwhelming workload.

“Generally speech therapists are a very supportive lot and they are very passionate about what they do, and I genuinely feel that's reflected across the service.”  

She expressed her worries about children not having access to speech and language services.

"Not getting therapy can have an impact on their social interactions, it can have an impact on their early literacy skills, it can impact settling into school and things like that.”

“There definitely needs to be more therapists to really achieve what we're trying to do.”

The 2024 Tes special educational needs report found that four out of five school staff say their setting does not have enough money to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

“If you ask anybody, it always comes down to money.”

The NHS having funding frustrations is an ongoing issue that is widespread across all it’s services, but it is particularly prevalent in the speech and language sector, where they are really feeling the crunch.

With these services under strain, children are being left behind. Speech and language therapists understand better than anyone the detrimental effects of this can have on a child, and these ones are hoping for a change.