8 December 2025
RCSLT welcomes the publication of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Head and Neck Cancer report, which provides a valuable assessment of how head and neck cancer services are organised and delivered across England.
We are pleased that the report highlights the significant impact that head and neck cancer, and its treatment, can have on speech, swallowing, voice, and communication. These changes affect a person’s independence, wellbeing, and overall quality of life, and we welcome the acknowledgment of speech and language therapy as a core pillar of head and neck cancer care. The report highlights the vital contribution of speech and language therapists make throughout the entire patient journey from diagnosis through treatment, rehabilitation, palliation, and into management of late effects.
The report is clear: speech and language therapy-led clinics support improved patient outcomes and deliver cost savings by helping to reduce acute admissions, improving patient flow, reducing undue length of stay, enhance and supporting return to work. This evidence reinforces the importance of embedding timely, specialist speech and language therapy input within all head and neck cancer services.
However, access to speech and language therapy remains inconsistent. Too many people experience delays, inconsistent care, and preventable complications. These unwarranted variations in access and quality can lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and hospital admissions, and can significantly diminish quality of life.
The report further identifies significant workforce pressures, variation in service provision, and challenges related to funding and advanced practice opportunities. These issues limit the ability of services to provide equitable, high-quality care, and many services do not have access to instrumental assessments such as fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) or videofluoroscopy which are essential for safe clinical decision-making.
The RCSLT continues to advocate strongly for the specialist skills and leadership of speech and language therapists in areas such as Surgical Voice Restoration, swallow-safety management, and communication therapy. Ensuring that services have sufficient staffing, protected time within multidisciplinary pathways and access to necessary equipment is essential to delivering safe, effective and person-centred care.
Call to action
The RCSLT urges the Government and integrated care boards to accept the GIRFT recommendations and to work with us to address workforce shortages and funding to ensure that anyone affected by head and neck cancer can access timely, evidence-based speech and language therapy when they need it.
Further information
Our full statement provides a detailed analysis of the report’s findings, including areas of progress, opportunities for improvement and the actions needed to ensure equitable, sustainable speech and language therapy provision across England.
