26 May 2021
The RCSLT joins the CSP and 12 other organisations in a joint statement urging employers to recognise the value of allied health professional support workers.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) joins a 14-strong coalition of organisations, led by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP), with a group statement published today.
The coalition calls for employers, policy makers and workforce planners in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to take urgent action to address the unacceptable inconsistencies in education and development opportunities for the AHP support workforce.
AHP support workers continue to be a crucial part of the pandemic response, yet many report feeling invisible, with their knowledge, skills and experience being underused.
The coalition warns that healthcare services are failing to use the knowledge, skills and experience of AHP support workers in a planned and strategic way, undermining efforts to meet the demands of a growing population and adapt to changing patient needs.
The statement is signed jointly by the British Association of Art Therapists, the British Association of Drama Therapists, the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists, the British Dietetic Association, the British and Irish Orthoptic Society, the CSP, the College of Operating Department Practitioners, the College of Paramedics, the College of Podiatry, the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, the RCSLT, the Society of Radiographers and Unison.
The statement calls for UK-wide career development and progression frameworks for AHP support workers, with universal access to funding for training. It also calls for the inclusion of AHP support workers in workforce development planning.
Join the conversation and stay up to date with this call to action on Twitter – #AHPSupportWorkers.
Read the full statement
