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Globally “non-urgent” health care services were ceased in response to the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19, until 2021, when restrictions were lifted. In the UK, this included speech and language therapy services. The implications of COVID-19 restrictions have not been explored. This study aimed to examine the impact of the UK’s COVID-19 response on speech and language therapy services.

An online survey of the practice of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the UK was undertaken. This explored SLTs’ perceptions of the demand for their services at a time when COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted, compared with before the onset of the pandemic. The analysis was completed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Respondents were mostly employed by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) or the private sector. Many participants reported that demands on their service had increased compared with before the onset of the pandemic. The need to address the backlog of cases arising from shutdowns was the main reason for this. Contributing factors included staffing issues and redeployment. Service users were consequently waiting longer for NHS therapy. Private therapy providers reported increased demand, which they directly attributed to these NHS challenges.

This presents the only focused account of the impact of the national response to COVID-19 on speech and language therapy services in the UK. It has been identified that services continue to face significant challenges, which indicate a two-tier system is emerging. Healthcare system leaders must work with service managers and clinicians to create solutions and prevent the system from being overwhelmed.

Long COVID is a complex and highly heterogeneous condition with a variable symptom profile, and calls have been made for an integrated care approach to be taken for its management. To date, no studies have explored speech and language therapy services or needs associated with long COVID. This service evaluation aimed to gauge the level of demand on speech and language therapy services for individuals with long COVID in the UK; their clinical needs, the organisational arrangements of services and the barriers and facilitators of delivering quality care.

A service evaluation was undertaken via distribution of an online survey to speech and language therapists (SLTs) receiving referrals for individuals with long COVID. Analysis was completed using descriptive statistics, with thematic analysis to evaluate qualitative data.

One hundred and eleven SLTs responded. Eighty-six percent were seeing individuals with long COVID in their “everyday” service, in uni- or multi-disciplinary teams, without any “dedicated” resource. Dysphagia and dysphonia were the most reported symptoms. Most respondents (66.7%) indicated the individuals they were seeing were of working age, and that an individuals' speech and language therapy needs were impacting their wellbeing. Perceived barriers to quality care included fragmented and non-integrated care pathways. Multi-disciplinary and integrated working was a key enabler.

This study provides novel insights into the current speech and language therapy needs of and care pathways for individuals with long COVID in the UK SLTs have unique expertise and are integral to supporting individuals with long COVID and should be a part of integrated care teams.

This paper provides managers and clinicians with an analysis of routine data collected by seven speech and language therapy services in the UK. Managers in seven districts in the UK of varying size and location were asked to provide information on referrals, waiting times and attendances during the six month period, and to give a breakdown of the types of intervention offered and type of clients seen. These data were aggregated and comparisons were made with existing data on speech and language therapy services. The results revealed considerable variations in prevalence, staffing ratios and client management practices. The implications for service planning are discussed.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of dysphagia among adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) referred to speech and language therapy for swallow assessment, providing information on the demographic characteristics, referral trends, co-occurring health conditions and reasons for referrals highlighting the complex health-care needs of this population.

This study used a standardised patient data extraction method over a six-month period involving 74 adults with ID referred to speech and language therapy for swallow assessment.

This study revealed a high prevalence of dysphagia among adults with ID referred to speech and language therapy for swallow assessment. Increasing age and severity of ID were associated with an increased likelihood of swallowing difficulties. Co-occurring health conditions such as mobility difficulties, epilepsy and gastrointestinal conditions were prevalent, suggesting that adults with ID and swallowing difficulties are often living with complex health conditions. Choking incidents and hospital admissions were primary reasons for referral.

This study stresses the pressing need for strategies to mitigate risks associated with choking incidents and hospital admission among this vulnerable population. Possible limitations include a reliance on referral and the focus being on a single service over a short period which may limit generalisation to the wider ID population.

This study emphasises the need to understand each person’s unique profile of health needs and the value of a specialised speech and language therapy service.

The importance of increasing awareness among caregivers and medical experts is highlighted.

The findings underscore the importance of tailored assessment, caregiver involvement and heightened interdisciplinary awareness to effectively manage dysphagia in individuals with ID.

This paper examines the overlap between two groups of children, those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The case is made that these are common and overlap, with serious consequences for the children and families concerned. The difficulties experienced by the children and their families have implications for health inequalities and should influence the way in which both child and adolescent mental health and public health services are conceptualised and delivered.

This paper aims to describe the development of a multimedia 3D animation based resource for speech sound training.

Speech sound training is historically auditory in nature and speech sound disorders often prove intractable. Sensory articulation speech system (SASSy) combines auditory and visual stimuli as a novel multimedia resource to enhance learning.

The advantages of the visual presentation of information have been described by the authors of various studies using instrumental analysis of speech as a training resource. With the further integration of a speech analysis and biofeedback mechanism, SASSy is designed to be used as a non‐invasive diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

Intended users are speech and language therapy clients with motor speech sound disorders (MSDs). At any one time, up to 20 per cent of the population – adults and children – have a speech disorder arising from a difficulty in producing perceptually acceptable speech sounds. Therapy is very time and resource intensive and the consultative role that speech and language therapists are now assuming means they have less capacity to deliver and assess traditional articulation therapy. Training and feedback can only be on a 1:1 basis and relies on the therapist providing an explanation and description of the speech mechanism to facilitate correct speech.

MSDs often prove resistant to change which is frustrating for clients and therapists alike. It is anticipated that a new, non‐intrusive instrumental analytic and therapeutic tool will improve the treatment and management of motor speech disorders. Animations of speech sounds were derived from the instrumental analysis of real speech to provide a real‐time visual sequence for users to match.

This chapter provides an overview of speech-language pathology including education and training requirements of the field of speech-language pathology and the typical role that speech-language pathologists play as members of school-based teams serving children with speech-language-hearing related delays and disorders. A description of the primary areas of treatment is provided along with suggestions for how collaboration with additional team members and families are involved in school-based intervention plans.

This study aims to evaluate the quality of a speech and language therapy (SLT) swallow service provided to adults with intellectual disability (ID) by exploring the process and outcome factors; to explore the process of what is done to and for the patient including identifying dysphagia, choking and pneumonia risk, typical interventions and management; examine clinical outcomes; and explore the relationship of outcomes with risk factors, satisfaction with the service and the impact of the service on the number of choking incidents and admissions to acute hospital with swallow concerns.

There were three specific work packages: (1) collecting and scrutinising patient data from the clinical record for adults with ID referred to the SLT swallow service over a six-month period. The researcher created aims, defined the limits to achieve the aims, designed a standardised data collection form, set out where data was in the clinical record, piloted, set limits for collection and trained reviewers; (2) gathering experience and satisfaction surveys from patients, caregivers and referrers over the six-month study period; and (3) monitoring choking adverse incident reports and hospital admission with swallow concerns for the whole ID population.

Choking and hospital admission were the main reasons for referral, and pneumonia risk significantly predicted dysphagia impairment. The research highlighted common dysphagia risk factors, interventions and recommendations for this population. The SLT swallow service is a quality service that is highly valued by patients, their caregivers and referrers. The service achieves significant clinical improvements, helps identify dysphagia and provides management to reduce associated risks.

This study found common dysphagia risk factors, interventions and recommendations; it also found that the therapy outcome measures/Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy online outcome tool was a meaningful outcome measure, and that pneumonia risk significantly predicted dysphagia impairment, all of which could inform the identified dysphagia research priorities for this population.

Naming usual care in treatment and recommendations could help ensure a fair service and could help form quality indicators. People with ID, their caregivers and staff generated valuable ideas for improvement, and further involvement work could create a logic model for the service. Other future work could explore the use of screening tools, increase multidisciplinary team working, improve access to instrumental assessments, raise awareness of swallowing and promote important oral health and medication reviews. By using this information to shape quality improvement work and policies, one can work toward addressing high health-related inequalities and preventable deaths associated with dysphagia in this vulnerable population.

It may be useful to raise awareness that adults with ID age earlier and that one should not exclude them from older people’s services because of an age threshold, often set higher than their life expectancy. This study highlighted a possible inequality of access issue for adults with ID who do not have direct care or day care staff. There is a need to increase access to awareness training so caregivers and general practitioners can recognise swallow difficulties and know how to make a referral for a swallow assessment.

Overall, the evaluation of the swallow service to adults with ID suggests that SLT have a quality service for adults with ID that is highly valued and provides significant clinical improvements. By building on these strengths, SLT could extend the reach, influence and impact of their services to help those adults with ID who have emerging swallow difficulties or who do not access the service.

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists recommend speech and language therapy intervention should be a key feature of approaches aimed at reducing re‐offending. This review seeks to analyse referrals received to speech and language therapy within a forensic support service (FSS) for adults with learning disabilities.

The review involved analysing data from the Forensic Support Service database for two six month periods (pre‐ and post‐introduction of the screen). Percentages of FSS cases referred to the speech and language therapist were analysed. Further data were gathered for service users not referred by asking their lead clinician to complete a retrospective communication screen. The screen also asked if the service user's communication difficulties were thought to be linked to their offending behaviour.

A high percentage (79/80 per cent) of service users referred to the FSS had communication difficulties. These communication difficulties are not always being identified. When completed, the screening tool aids identification of communication difficulties but the limited number of returned screens was a problem. Between 79 per cent and 84 per cent of those service users identified as having a communication difficulty, are thought to have offending behaviours linked to this.

The review informs managers and commissioners of similar services of the importance of speech and language therapy provision and also highlights the perceived link between communication difficulties and offending behaviour.

Reports a survey of 1990 and 1991 graduates entering the speech and language therapy profession in the UK. Questions focused on the induction and support measures received from managers. Also investigates the experiences of six new therapists in one “good practice” area, Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, with a package of support measures implemented. Results showed that new therapists were given a great deal of help and support, and valued it highly. They welcomed information on policies and practices, and there is a need for even more written information. They made successful personal adaptations to the work environment, and managers felt that they were effective overall. The study serves as a benchmark for small professions entering the NHS before reforms alter employment context. Suggests that good professional managerial practices will have to be carefully maintained.