Speech and language therapists are one of the 15 Allied Health Professions.
Speech and language therapists (SLTs) and SLT support workers provide vital care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. Across the lifespan, certain conditions mean that these skills are affected and require support.
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Speech and language therapists and support workers may work in:
- nurseries and children’s centres
- schools
- hospitals
- health centres
- private clinics
- nursing homes
- courtrooms and prisons
- client’s homes
- universities and research centres
Some examples of the conditions SLTs might help with are:
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism
- cleft lip and palate
- language disorders
- specific speech sound difficulties
- learning disabilities
- stammering
- hearing loss
- mental health problems
- brain injury
- stroke
- motor neurone disease
- parkinson’s disease
- head and neck cancer
- dementia
Each day is very different, and will vary depending on the patient group. Below are some examples from SLTs based in different settings.
Working in a primary school
I arrive at the school and say hello to the teachers. I check my emails before starting my first session with a pupil who needs help with talking. Along with his teaching assistant, we play a game using some pictures and help the child to think of the words and hand signs that he could use to describe them. I talk to the teaching assistant about how to carry on with this work to help the child progress.
Next, myself and another teaching assistant run a small group with 4 children to help build their attention and listening skills. After the sessions, I have to spend time writing up my clinical notes and observations about the sessions - this is something we have to do after every client we see.
My last activity of the day is a supervision session with a more senior member of staff where we talk through things like challenging cases and workload. We spend the session discussing a complex case and making a plan for how best to support the child.
Working on a rehabilitation ward in a hospital
I start my day by checking emails. I then attend ‘board round,’ where the doctors, nurses and therapists discuss each of the patients on our caseload for any overnight updates. The first person I see is an elderly lady with dementia who is finding it difficult to chew her food. I carry out a swallow assessment and recommend that the foods she eats should be softer to keep her safe.
The next person I see is a 25-year-old who had a road traffic accident on his motorbike, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. He has difficulty concentrating on what people are saying and finds talking to his friends harder than before. We set some goals to help him work towards getting back to work and socialising with his friends.
After lunch I attend a team training session on art therapies in North West London. I learn about the benefits of using art therapy in adult mental health.
My day ends by accompanying a patient to have a videofluoroscopy (a swallow X-ray) to check whether the swallow exercise program we gave them to follow, has helped in improving their swallow function.
SLTs work closely with teachers, other allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, doctors, nurses and psychologists, and social care professionals.
There are different routes into the profession to become a registered SLT with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
You can either complete a first degree at Bachelors level, or if you have a related first degree you can complete a Master’s course. Courses are a mix of university lectures and clinical placements where you will get hands-on experience of the job.
You can also complete a degree-level apprenticeship, which could be funded by an NHS employer. This is a mix of working part-time and studying to become an SLT at the same time.
For a newly qualified therapist, you will enter at band 5. The current salary for a band 5 in England is between £28,000 - £34,000. In addition, NHS roles in North West London attract an extra 15-20% of pay as a high cost area supplement, meaning the salary in one of our eight boroughs starts from £32,200.
Support workers are usually employed at NHS agenda for change pay bandings 3 and 4. Salaries can range from £22,000 to £27,500. Including the high cost area supplement, salaries in North West London start from £25,300.
AHPs are able to move up the agenda for change pay bands as they progress in their career. To see what the salaries are for more experienced staff, you can view the salary bands here.
The NHS also has other employee benefits such as annual leave of between 27 - 33 days, plus bank holidays; an excellent pension scheme; and other payment schemes during periods where staff are off work e.g. maternity and sickness.