Unfortunately there has not been a parallel increase in the number of funded posts. So even in areas where there are no or few vacant posts, there may still be long waiting lists for treatment. In the light of the Bristol STEP study quoted in the article, we have encouraged therapists to examine and, if appropriate, change the way they offer services to children. Sure Start is an exciting initiative which may lead to many new ways of working with children and their families to maximise their language and learning skills. The issue is not that there is competition between service providers but that there are simply not enough speech and language therapists to go round.
Communication is fundamental to human life, and difficulties can be devastating.
Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes. The NHS assumes that it is made up of, and for, white males. The NHS has a workforce of 1.2 million. It is the largest workforce in the world. The aim of the Positively Diverse project, she said, is to bring in the added value to improve services and the working lives of all its staff.