3 February 2026
RCSLT Scotland has set out four key asks of the next Scottish Government, calling for improved access to speech and language therapy and to strengthen communication rights ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections in May.
The asks are included in a new briefing for Scottish policymakers, developed following discussions with Scottish members, service users, and politicians. The briefing considers the key challenges facing people with communication and swallowing needs as well as the profession and outlines the areas where speech and language therapists can deliver meaningful solutions.
RCSLT Scotland is calling on the next Scottish Government to:
- Embed speech and language therapists in every school and nursery
- Expand access to the SLT profession in Scotland
- Meet the changing needs of Scotland’s adult population
- Strengthen communication rights
Glenn Carter, Head of RCSLT Scotland, said: “With the right resource, speech and language therapists embedded in education can provide the communication support that will upskill a generation of children and improve their learning and life outcomes. Embedding speech and language therapists in education-based teams allows us to support children earlier, prevent harm and build relationships that help us address complex challenges as a team.
“Scotland’s ageing population poses new challenges for health services. By enabling safe swallowing, which is the largest part of our work with adults, speech and language therapists ensure patients can eat and drink safely, avoid serious medical complications and ultimately prevent them ending up in hospital. Speech and language therapy will also be vital for the one in five of us who will experience communication difficulties in our lifetimes. Communication is a fundamental human right and we believe legislation is required to ensure that anyone with communication difficulties can access public services.”
“To deliver these ambitions, we need to increase the level of resource for speech and language therapy across Scotland, including investment in training.”
Read our briefing for Scottish policymakers on speech and language therapy.
Members in Scotland can also use our simple tool to contact your local Scottish election candidates and urge them to support our asks.
