Speech and language provision criticised

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th Mar 2010

Major shortcomings in the provision of speech and language therapy across Scotland have been criticised by Glasgow MSP Robert Brown. Mr. Brown was questioning Communities Minister Alex Neil at Question Time in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, following the publication of a survey of services carried out by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

The RCSLT survey found:

• Children and adults were waiting up to 10 months for speech and language therapy services in some Health Board areas

• Reductions in services and staff meant this situation was likely to get worse.

• Over half of young people had to wait at least 9 weeks even to be assessed; the average wait for adults is 10 weeks.

• Over a third of adults with learning disability have to wait more than 18 weeks for assessment, and can wait up to a year for intervention.

Robert Brown had asked the Minister, in the light of the RCSLT survey, what action the Scottish Government were taking to ensure adequate and consistent support for speech and language therapy services across Scotland.

Robert Brown said:

"The Minister spoke about partnership and improved guidance but his reply was in essence bureaucratic gobbledegook and took us nowhere. I described his reply as being 'astonishingly complacent'.

"There is a fourteen fold difference between the amount of speech and language therapy available for children in the best areas from what is available in the worst areas. For adults, the difference is sixteen fold. This is quite lamentable.

"Speech and language therapy is vital for children with communication difficulties. If the problems are not tackled they can get worse and hold children's education and progress back. It is one of these things where early action can avoid or reduce problems later. The Scottish Government must get a handle on this and make sure that these vital services are more fully available."

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