The five core components

Practitioner wellbeing

“Practitioner wellbeing includes attention to and support within the workplace for health, effective work, values/ principles, collective/social opportunities, personal growth, lifestyle choices and financial wellbeing.”

(Adapted from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 2022).

As individual practitioners, not all of the elements in the definition will feel within our control to address and we will need to consider what is within our sphere of influence. It is important to recognise that investing in wellbeing requires an integrated approach across all levels of an organisation (CIPD, 2022). Organisational decision-makers need to recognise that health and wellbeing can impact on an employee’s ability to learn, develop and improve their practice (Scottish Social Services Council, 2014).

Reflective questions
Think about the definition of wellbeing and the seven elements in relation to your
own current knowledge and experience.

• What does wellbeing at work look like for you?
• What is within your control to keep doing?
• What is within your control to improve or start doing?
• What is within your control to stop doing?

Impact

“Impact includes knowing how we make a difference and showing how we know we make a difference, as speech and language therapists and as part of the AHP community. It includes our ability to positively influence and bring about change, across all Four Domains of practice and across all sectors and roles in which we work.”

(Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR), 2019; NHS Education Scotland, 2021)

As individuals and as a profession, our aspirations include identifying how we make a difference and how we show that difference for ourselves as individual practitioners, and with different groups of people who are affected by the services we provide, including but not limited to:

• Service users
• The public
• Prospective and current speech and language therapy students
• Colleagues
• Decision makers
• System leaders
• The media
• Other key audiences

(British Association Social Workers (BASW), 2018 pg4; RCSLT, 2022)

Reflective questions
Think about the definition of impact in relation to your own current knowledge
and experience across the different groups of people you work with.

• What does impact at work look like for you?
• What is within your control to keep doing?
• What is within your control to improve or start doing?
• What is within your control to stop doing?

Inclusion and diversity

“Inclusion and diversity involves valuing differences and engaging in continuous learning and development to promote greater equality, diversity and inclusion for all, and embed anti-racism within the profession and in service provision.”

(Advisory, Conciliation an Arbitration Service (ACAS), 2022; RCSLT, 2022)

As individuals and as a profession, our aspirations include:

• A more diverse student population and workforce, across all protected characteristics, at all levels of seniority, who are valued and can bring their whole selves to work.
• Everyone, including those from underrepresented groups such as members from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, who are LGBTQ+ or who have a disability, are fully included in the profession.
• Culturally and linguistically inclusive, co-produced services, made accessible to all
• A profession empowered to tackle racism and discrimination in our services and society.
• A profession that works proactively to reduce health inequalities and the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on service users.

(RCSLT, 2022)

Reflective questions
Think about the definition of inclusion and diversity in relation to your own
current knowledge and experience.

• What does inclusion and diversity at work look like for you?
• What is within your control to keep doing?
• What is within your control to improve or start doing?
• What is within your control to stop doing?

Sustainability

“Sustainable healthcare delivers high quality care without damaging the environment, is affordable now and in the future and delivers positive social impact, that works for both people and the planet.”

(Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, 2022; NHS England, 2022; United Nations, 2022)

As individuals and a profession, our aspirations include to:

• invest in processes to support sustainability; and
• lower our carbon footprint.

(RCSLT, 2022)

Reflective questions
Think about the definition of sustainability and the UN goals that are relevant to your workplace. In relation to your own current knowledge and experience, consider the following:

• What does sustainability at work look like for you?
• What is within your control to keep doing?
• What is within your control to improve or start doing?
• What is within your control to stop doing?

Co-production

“Co-production is not just a word, it is not just a concept, it is a meeting of minds coming together to find shared solutions. In practice, co-production involves people who use services being consulted, included, and working together from the start to the end of any project that affects them. When coproduction works best, people who use services and carers are valued by organisations as equal partners, can share power, and have influence over decisions made.”

(Think Local Act Personal National Co-production Advisory Group, 2022)

As individuals and a profession, our aspirations include:

• Co-production with service users, their families, and carers, embedded in all aspects of our work including through the use of shared decision-making tools and processes.
• Embedding co-production with and securing the endorsements of service user organisations in all aspects of our work.
• A profession that works together to build a society that is communication inclusive.

(Adapted from RCSLT, 2022)

Reflective questions
Think about the definition of co-production in relation to your own current
knowledge and experience.

• What does co-production look like in your work context?
• How can you support people with communication difficulties to participate meaningfully in co-production?
• What is within your control to keep doing?
• What is within your control to improve or start doing?
• What is within your control to stop doing?