North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has questioned the Health Minister over the shortage of Speech and Language Therapists in Wales, and the fact that Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board (BCUHB) are experiencing problems recruiting and retaining therapists.
Speaking in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood asked the Minister how the Welsh Government is helping to retain and recruit Speech and Language therapists in Wales, and quoted from a letter sent by BCUHB to a parent in which the Board highlights the problems they are experiencing.
Mr Isherwood said:
“The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists has been calling for an increase in the commissioning number for Speech and Language Therapists in Wales in 2024-25, and better workforce planning for the profession in Wales as part of an Allied Health Professional workforce plan. They stated last year that their ‘membership data reveals that there are fewer speech and language therapists per head of the population in Wales than in any other part of the UK’.
“How do you therefore respond to the Anglesey parent who shared a letter from the Head of the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board, received three days before Christmas, which stated that in consequence of the 'challenges relating to the recruitment and retention of Speech and Language Therapy staff within the department, which is also reflected across the NHS', they, 'have been unsuccessful in recruiting to Speech and Language Therapy for the Special Schools', and, 'there is currently no Speech and Language Therapy Provision for the Special Schools'? They identified schools in Llangefni, Caernarfon and Penrhyndeudraeth.”
In her response, the Minister said they “are investing significantly in training the next generation of NHS workers, and that includes speech and language therapists, and training places have indeed increased by 11 per cent from 2018”.
She added:
“What I will say in relation to North Wales is that Health Education and Improvement Wales introduced a brand-new speech and language therapy course in North Wales at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, and the first intake started in 2022-23, so they will be coming out. They're obviously not ready yet, but I hope that that will give some comfort to those special schools that, actually, that pipeline of recruitment should be delivering in the next few years.”
Speaking outside the meeting, Mr Isherwood added:
“After the Minister responded to my Written Question to her last year asking ‘What assessment has the Minister made of the long-term viability of the BSc (Hons) in speech and language therapy at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, which currently only offers 10 commissioned training places despite high demand for the course from the local community?”, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists commented ‘Rather a disappointing response which doesn’t really cover our concerns about the particularly small size of the Wrexham course’.”
