WAIT-UP SLT / Gillian Rudd

National Health Executive • Issue 106 Q4

"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…

Meet the WAIT-UP SLT team: Doctoral Supervisors An essential dimension of doctoral study is the involvement and input of supervisors. This blog post discusses the nature and purpose of doc...

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

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.

Who Picks Up The Phone? Different Approaches To NHS Admin | The King's Fund Improving NHS admin isn’t easy – but some solutions are surprisingly simple. Julia Cream looks at two real life examples of admin done differently.

"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

How expert voices will shape WAIT-UP SLT: A look at our advisory groups Research should be designed and carried out in partnership with the communities that it seeks to represent.  WAIT-UP SLT therefore adopts a ...

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 ⭐

Introducing WAIT-UP SLT Waiting and Access In Therapy - Understanding Perspectives in Speech and Language Therapy (WAIT-UP SLT) is a multi-stage research project th...

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...

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...

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

"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

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...

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"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 image shows a poster advertising the WAIT-UP SLT research project and an opportunity to join advisory group. You can express an interest if you: ✅ are a parent/caregiver of a child or young person who has accessed children's speech and language therapy services in the last 3 years https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitupslt-pac-advisory-group or ✅ work within a SLT service in England as a service lead, SLT, SLTA, admin/clerical assistant or other associated role and have contact with families who experience waiting https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitupslt-slt-advisory-group

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 🙏

image shows the book cover that's an abstract shape of a sad person

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 image shows a poster advertising the WAIT-UP SLT research project and an opportunity to join advisory group. You can express an interest if you: ✅ are a parent/caregiver of a child or young person who has accessed children's speech and language therapy services in the last 3 years https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitupslt-pac-advisory-group or ✅ work within a SLT service in England as a service lead, SLT, SLTA, admin/clerical assistant or other associated role and have contact with families who experience waiting https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bcu/waitupslt-slt-advisory-group

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 🙏

What To Do Whilst You're Waiting for Speech and Language Therapy for Your Child If your child has been referred for speech and language therapy, you might be feeling a mix of relief, hope, and maybe some frustration. Wai...

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...

Expert warns of impact to children's development following Croydon therapy saga The council said new speech and language services are now in place, but parents fear the delay has already set their children back.

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.”

image shows a speech therapist touching her chin to demonstrate a technique to a child colourised in pink

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... #SENDsky