Guide to Accessing Speech Therapy services in the UK
In the UK, all public Speech Therapy services usually require referrals from your GP, district nurse, health visitor or at least a teacher. After consulting with your GP, you will be provided with a booking reference number and a password or access code. You can use this to book an appointment online through NHS, by utilising NHS e-Referral Service. You can also use the NHS App to do the same. Meanwhile, you can also use PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) which provides answers to your health related questions and resolve your concerns.
While selecting hospitals you have the option of comparing wait times (first appointment and further treatment)and quality of care provided for each hospital. Be warned that some areas, specially where case loads are high can lead to delays and they may have ways to filter out, prioritise and sort out cases before appointments are given. A typical wait time for a Children’s hospital is 9 weeks for first appointment and further 8 weeks for treatment.
If the wait times are high or if your unsatisfied with public hospitals funded by the NHS, you can look for Private (independent) Speech therapist through the Association of Speech Therapist in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) using the ASLTIP website, which lists independent speech therapists by postcode.
Finally, it should be noted that you can also access quality Speech Therapy through Online Speech Therapy. This is especially useful if your mother-tongue is not English. To know more click here:
Last Updated on 9 September 2024