14 October 2024
Celebrating all Allied Health Professions (AHPs), including speech and language therapy, this AHP day, we’re asking our members to help continue to raise the profile of the profession by writing to their local MPs.
Since 2018, the annual AHPs day has become a chance to reflect on and celebrate the impact and achievements of all allied health professionals, helping to raise the profile and increase understanding of multiple health disciplines with both the general public and with changemakers alike. This year’s theme is Quality and Safety, and you can follow the X hashtag #AHPsDay to find out more about how your colleagues are celebrating the occasion on the day itself (14 October) and throughout the following week. You can also use the hashtag to share your own plans and celebrations for the day.
This year, the RCSLT is running a number of campaigns to raise awareness of the vital support which SLTs provide to our communities all year round.
We’re currently running three campaigns to support the crucial work of all SLTs and support workers:
- communication inclusion and investing in speech and language therapy
- independent prescribing responsibilities
- Primary Progressive Aphasia
We are asking members to contact their MPs about any one of these issues to raise awareness of the benefits of speech and language therapy and the challenges and opportunities which our members encounter in their daily roles.
Communication inclusion and investing in speech and language therapy
Now Parliament is back from its recesses, the RCSLT has created a template email (or template letter if people prefer writing to emailing) asking their MP to be communication inclusive and support increased investment in speech and language therapy.
There are two templates available to use: one for speech and language therapists and one for people accessing speech and language therapy to use.
If you want to support communication inclusion and raise awareness of the need to invest in speech and language therapy, take action now by contacting your MP via our dedicated webpage.
Prescribing Now
With other allied health professional bodies, the RCSLT is relaunching the Prescribing Now campaign, marking AHPs Day by handing in a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care on 14 October 2024.
If you want to support extending independent prescribing responsibilities to more AHPs, including speech and language therapists, take action now by contacting your MP via our dedicated webpage.
Primary Progressive Aphasia
The RCSLT has joined forces with the specialist charity Dyscover to have speech and language therapy for Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) nationally commissioned by NHS England.
If you want to support improved care for people with PPA and their families and carers, take action now by contacting your MP via our dedicated webpage
More information
If you would like more information on the campaigns, please contact elissa.cregan@rcslt.org or peter.just@rcslt.org.
