RCSLT responds to new NICE guideline 

The RCSLT welcomes the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) guideline on “Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury,” which acknowledges that speech, language and communication needs are too often overlooked for people with chronic neurological disorders.  

We are pleased that the guideline acknowledges the significant impact of speech, language and communication impairments on the health and mental wellbeing of children, young people and adults living with chronic neurological disorders. It also highlights how improved speech, language and communication can enhance participation in education and employment, offering broader social and economic benefits. 

However, access to speech and language therapy remains inconsistent. Timely and appropriate assessment and intervention is essential, and action is urgently needed to ensure services are sufficiently resourced and fully integrated into care pathways, so that everyone with a chronic neurological disorder can access the speech and language therapy they need, when they need it. 

Throughout the development of this guideline, the RCSLT has strongly advocated for the vital role of speech and language therapists in rehabilitation. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the guideline development process and helped ensure the voice of the profession, and our users with communication and swallowing needs, were heard. 

We encourage all members to read the full guideline to understand the broader context and to identify where speech and language therapy contributions add value to the lives of people with chronic neurological disorders. These contributions extend beyond the sections titled “Speech, language and communication” and “Eating, drinking and swallowing”.

Further details

Our full statement looks at the guideline in detail, including welcome findings and areas of concern.

Read our full statement