Scotland Policy
Policy and campaigns: Scotland
Information about our work in Scotland.
- See also the RCSLT Scotland Twitter handle @rcsltscot
News
This submission, compiled by SLT experts Dr. Ann Clark and Annemarie McRae on behalf of RCSLT in Scotland, sets out the evidence base underpinning RCSLT support for increasing the maximum age of referral to the Children’s Reporter to 18 in Scotland. It is also a great source for evidence relating SLCN among CYP involved in justice procedures.
Scotland’s AAC services: 2020 report
Swallowing Awareness Day
To celebrate Swallowing Awareness Day, RCSLT, Care Inspectorate Scotland and Scottish Care announced publication of jointly endorsed new guidance on supporting people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in Scotland. Download the guidance here. The guidance highlights:
- good practice
- helps inspectors identify signs where a care service’s practice can be better and support them to improve
- support care providers to better understand and implement good quality care.
The Scottish Government / RCSLT Communication Summit
How to grow national assets by breaking the intergenerational cycle of speech, language and communication needs. The Scottish Government / RCSLT Communication Summit was held on 26th October 2016 in Edinburgh.
Weekly Updates
Briefings
- Summary of the Integrated Health and Social Care Workforce Plan for Scotland (July 2020)
- Programme for Government 2019
- Health & Social Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (July 2019)
- Public bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 (June 2015)
- Allied Health Professionals: enabling active and independent living (May 2015)
- Positive legal case for public sector speech language and communication service provision for children and young people in Scotland (April 2015)
- Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (March 2014)
- Allied Health Professions National Delivery Plan in 89 words (November 2012)
- Presentation on the Allied Health Professions National Delivery Plan – highlighting points relevant to speech and language therapy (November 2012)
- Briefing note on the Allied Health Professions National Delivery Plan (August 2012)
- What do SLTs do? (May 2012)
- Briefing for the Scottish Parliament Justice Committee on speech, language and communication needs in the criminal justice system (February 2012)
Consultation responses
- Talk with me: Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) Delivery Plan (July 2020)
- RCSLT response to Stage 3 of the Independent Review of Learning Disability & Autism in the Mental Health Act (October 2019)
- Health & Sport Committee Inquiry into Recruitment and Retention (August 2016)
- RCSLT response to Ready to Act: a transformational plan for children and young people requiring support from Allied Health Professionals (November 2015)
- RCSLT written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee on the Community Justice Bill (August 2015)
- RCSLT response to draft statutory guidance associated with Children and Young People’s (Scotland) Act 2014 (May 2015)
- Advanced dementia consultation response: developing the 8 pillars model of community support (February 2015)
- RCSLT response to Public Bodies (Joint Working)(Scotland) Bill (January 2015)
- RCSLT brief consultation on proposals to introduce a statutory duty of candour for health and social services (January 2015)
- Statutory duty of candour for health and social care services respondent information form (January 2015)
- RCSLT Speech, language and communication and early years health inequalities: the cycle generation after generation(August 2014)
- Response to consultation on the Children and Young People Bill (September 2012)
- Response to consultation ‘Making justice work for victims and witnesses: Victims and Witnesses Bill’ (July 2012)
- Response to the draft Allied Health Professions National Delivery Plan (May 2012)
- Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee Female offenders in the criminal justice system (March 2009)
- RCSLT response to extending the use of intermediaries for vulnerable witnesses in Scotland
Campaigns
- Speech & Language Therapy in Primary Care – Support for adults in the community.
- Draft manifesto of asks for Holyrood 2016 Election
- Giving Voice – aims to ‘give voice’ to people with speech, language and communication needs, to ensure their needs and those of their carers and families, are met. We equip our members to demonstrate locally how speech and language therapy makes a difference to individuals and society, whilst RCSLT officers work to engage decision makers and the media at a national level.
- Youth offenders and criminal justice
- Improvements in stroke care
Health Literacy Action Plan Response (2017)
Joint publications with AHPs and other professional bodies Communication Summit (1) Report (2017)
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The future of primary care – a view from the professions (2017)
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Digital Strategy -0 a view from the professions (2017)
N:\Scotland\Scotland General\AHPFS\MultiProfGroup\161219 Access to Records (F) – Digital Strategy submission.pdf
AHPFS workforce consultation response.docx
Contact
Scotland Office
Telephone – 0131 226 5250.
Address – 9-10 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2AF.
Improvements in stroke care – Scotland
- For material relating to the UK as a whole please see our Improvements in stroke care page.
The Stroke Charter was produced by the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Heart Disease and Stroke. It describes what all local services should aim to provide.
It was written by people who have had a stroke, MSPs and people providing services including SLTs, phyisiotherapists, OTs, nurses and representatives from Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the Stroke Association in Scotland. It remains a useful tool for explaining to people what they should expect in the longer term after leaving hospital.
This Charter is also available in an Aphasia friendly (easy access) version and in word and PDF and other alternative formats to download at http://www.strokecharterscotland.org.uk/the-charter.html
Scottish Parliament elections 2016
The RCSLT supported members to take part in the campaign and to raise the issues that matter most for those needing speech, language and communication support.
We had 3 main areas of focus:
- Children and young people
- Dementia
- Alternative and Augmented Communication (AAC)
- Summary of the key speech & language related manifesto commitments made by the main parties
Hustings
A husting is a public meeting where candidates are invited to speak. It’s a great opportunity to engage with politicians and the public. Our campaign briefings suggested questions that could be asked of candidates as well as facts and figures to support the case for more speech and language therapy. Hustings happen all over Scotland and some national meetings were organised to focus on health, education and social care.
Local and national media
Campaigners raised issues throughout the election campaign by writing to local papers, phoning into debates on radio and taking part in online events. Our campaign briefings were available to be used to help write a letter about local issues such as service cuts
Youth offenders and criminal justice – Scotland
For material relating to the UK as a whole please click here.
- Presentation to RCSLT scientific conference (September 2012).
- Handout from presentation to RCSLT scientific conference (September 2012).
- Report on RCSLT conference ‘Locked Up and Locked Out: Communication is the Key’ (November 2010).
See also our briefing on speech, language and communication needs in the criminal justice system and our consultation responses on making justice work for victims and witnesses, female offenders in the criminal justice system and the use of intermediaries for vulnerable witnesses.
Who should I influence in Scotland?
External stakeholders in Scotland you can seek to influence include:
- Health Boards
- Local authorities and Councillors – councillors who lead and or sit on relevant scrutiny committees, Chief Executives, Financial Directors and Directors of Education
- Schools
- MSPs
- Local Health Councils
- Community Justice Partnerships
- Health and Social Care Integration Partnerships
- Integration Joint Boards – chief officers
- AHP Directors
- Scottish Attainment Challenge
Changes for Scotland
Resources to support you in responding to any proposed changes to your service’s structures and priorities.
Nation specific resources
Scotland
The Care Inspectorate regulates and inspects care services in Scotland to make sure that they meet the right standards.
Heath Care Improvement Scotland
Provides clinical standards, guidelines and advice based upon the best available evidence.
Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016
Imposes a Duty of Candour on all health service staff to report incidents that could bring harm or have brought harm to individuals.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
SIGN develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland.
Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP)
SPSP is a unique national initiative that aims to improve the safety and reliability of healthcare and reduce harm, whenever care is delivered.