Research priorities

What is a priority setting partnership?

The RCSLT has embarked on a project to develop the top priorities for new research in speech and language therapy, using a priority setting partnership (PSP). PSPs enable clinicians, patients and carers to work together to identify and prioritise evidence uncertainties, in particular areas of health and care, that could be answered by research.

It is anticipated that the research priorities identified will be used by researchers, higher education institutes and research funders, to guide future research.

How has the RCSLT addressed setting research priorities?

The RCSLT has used a Research Priorities Working Group to agree the scope and approach to the projects and to oversee the delivery.

In 2015, RCSLT members completed a questionnaire that asked for SLTs’ thoughts on gaps in the evidence base that impact on their delivery of quality care.

Five key clinical areas were identified as those that required a PSP first:

  • Dysphagia
  • Learning disabilities
  • Developmental language disorders (DLD)
  • Aphasia
  • Autism

For the first three of these areas, SLTs, patients/service users and other professionals, worked together to use the evidence gaps to develop a list of research questions.

The long list was then prioritised to develop a ‘top 10’ list of questions for each area. This was done via a second online questionnaire involving SLTs, service users and other professionals.

The RCSLT has developed top 10 priorities for research in dysphagia, learning disabilities and developmental language disorders (DLD).

Research priorities for dysphagia

Download resources to learn about the research priorities in dysphagia for the speech and language therapy profession:

Since the priorities were published, there have been annual campaigns to document what research has been conducted in relation to them.

Research priorities for developmental language disorder (DLD)

Following the identification of broad priority areas in Phase I, we have now completed Phase II of our research priority setting partnership. This second phase focused on identifying specific, up-to-date research questions in DLD, in response to feedback from research funders who requested more targeted questions for consideration at funding panels.

Explore the priorities and next steps:

Phase II was carried out in partnership with Moor House Research & Training Institute, University College London, Afasic, and the University of Lancashire. Researchers from a number of other universities also contributed.

The project was coproduced with people with lived experience of DLD and a range of health, education, and social care professionals as equal partners. As such, the results represent the shared priorities of the wider DLD community. This is reflected in the top 10 questions, which include priorities related to education, the diagnostic process, interventions and outcomes, employment and social care, and social and emotional well-being.

These priorities must now be used to guide the research agenda and help shape future services that better reflect the needs and preferences of people with DLD. This marks the start of a wider movement, one that depends on collaboration across the DLD community to improve outcomes across all stages of life.

Read the report to explore the top 10 research questions and learn how you can support the next steps, whether by sharing the priorities, conducting or supporting research, or applying new evidence in practice.

The following documents are also available from Phase I of the priority setting partnership:

Research priorities for learning disabilities

In Phase 1 of our Priority Setting Partnership, members were asked to identify their ‘uncertainties’ about any aspect of speech and language therapy relevant to supporting people with learning disabilities. A literature review found that many of these uncertainties were not addressed by high-level, quality research.

95 research areas (reflective of the uncertainties) were ranked by adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers, speech and language therapists and other health care professionals. The highest-ranking areas became the Top 10 Research Priorities for Learning Disabilities.

The Top 10 were re-visited as part of Phase 2 of the project, which focussed on maximising the appeal and suitability of the priorities to key national and international research funding institutions, by developing specific research questions.

You can find out more about both phases of the project by downloading the following resources:

If you are interested in supporting our influencing work with funders, and/or are planning on carrying out research in any of the prioritised areas, please email jessica.lane@rcslt.org

What do the research priorities mean for me?

There are lots of ways you can use the priorities to support your work.

If you’re a speech and language therapist: 

  • Share the priorities with your networks, including service users and families.
  • Ask service users and families what they think about the priorities.
  • Use the priorities to inform a journal club meeting.
  • Discuss the priorities at a team meeting, clinical excellence network (CEN) event.
  • Review an article in relation to a priority area for the ‘in the journals’ column in Bulletin (Email Bulletin for details).
  • Carry out a clinical audit or quality improvement project related to a priority area.

If you’re a researcher conducting research in the field of speech and language therapy:

  • Let us know about any existing/potential work you know is happening in relation to a priority area.
  • Tell us about relevant funding bodies, stakeholders and funding opportunities, particularly local ones.
  • Use a priority area to inform your student dissertation project or to develop your research proposal/National Institute for Health Research fellowship application.

Next steps and support from the RCSLT research team

  • The working group met in 2020 to discuss next steps for the RCSLT priority setting partnership (PSP) project and decided that autism and aphasia clinical areas were no longer priority areas, as Autistica and the Stroke Association have already begun their own PSPs in this area.
  • Further work is required to ensure full impact of the current top 10 priorities for research, before addressing further clinical areas.
  • The methods and findings for translating the research priorities for learning disabilities into fundable research questions has been published. The translation phase for research priorities relating to DLD is currently underway. Please do keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved.
  • There will be ongoing activities promoting the RCSLT research priorities and translated questions and collating emerging research relating to the priorities.

How can the RCSLT research team support me?

The research team are happy to support your activities in relation to any of the research priorities. We can provide advice about your project, a letter of support and relevant resources to support your activity. We can also help you to share information on the research/activities that you are carrying out.

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