Speech and Language Therapy Waits - FOI Response Register

FoI Number
2024-095
Subject
Speech and Language Therapy Waits
Date Received
07/05/2024
Request and Response

I am keen to understand how long patients are waiting for speech and language therapy.

As such, for each financial year from 2018/19 to 2024/25 (most recent):

  1. the total number of referrals for speech and language therapy, broken down by a) adult and b) children and young people

Adults

Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
Referrals 70 79 82 93 120 118

Children

Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
Referrals 116 123 110 113 86 78

024/25 total cannot be provided until end of financial year.

  1. both the median and longest wait from referral to an initial appointment/assessment, broken down by a) adult and b) children and young people?

Average wait times

Adults

Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
Referrals 3 weeks 3 weeks 3 weeks 6 weeks 3 weeks 3 weeks

Children

Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24

Average wait for

initial appointment

 8 weeks 9 weeks 11 weeks 18 weeks 14 weeks 13 weeks

Longest wait time

Adults

Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24

Longest wait for

initial appointment

 20 weeks 38 weeks 23 weeks 28 weeks 37 weeks 17 weeks
Children
Year 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24

Children

 29 weeks 39 weeks 39 weeks 42 weeks 73 weeks 32 weeks
This figures above do not include those waiting for Autism Pathway Assessments as waiting times for this is kept separate to the general Speech and Language Therapy waiting list.

The long waiting times are outliers.  There is often a reason they have waited so much longer for example could not get in contact with the patient/parent, patient not suitable for online appointment (during lock down).

  1. both the median and longest wait from referral to starting treatment, broken down by a) adult and b) children and young people?

No waiting list for treatment.

  1. the total number of patients currently on a speech and language therapy waiting list, broken down by a) adult and b) children and young people?

Adults 10

Children 17

Numbers of those on autism pathway waiting list not included.