What steps has the Welsh Government taken to ensure access to speech and language therapy services for people with neurological conditions?
It is the responsibility of health boards to ensure they provide adequate access to therapy services, including speech and language therapy, and as part of this we would expect them to take account of relevant best practice.
Our Neurological Conditions Delivery Plan, first published in 2014 and currently being updated, sets out how the NHS will deliver to meet the needs patients. Included within the Delivery Plan is an aim to improve support for neurological patients with effective neurological rehabilitation and to that end the Neurological Conditions Implementation Group, in collaboration with the Stroke Implementation Group, have invested an additional £1.2 million to improve access to neurological rehabilitation.
Health boards have prioritised where to invest the additional funding to provide greatest impact on services, including access to speech and language therapy.
I launched the Post Registration framework for Allied Health Professionals on 3 October 2016. The framework provides robust and consistent guidance for education and training to ensure future resources are targeted and utilised in line with the prudent healthcare agenda and meet future service needs more effectively including neurological conditions.
We continue to invest in training opportunities in speech and language therapy and will continue to keep the number of training places commissioned under review. We are also working with our commissioners to explore what further education and training arrangements can be put in place to support speech and language therapy service.