What assessment has the Minister made of the long-term viability of the BSc (Hons) in speech and language therapy at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, which currently only offers 10 commissioned training places despite high demand for the course from the local community?
There is increasing demand for speech and language therapist services in Wales along with a need to educate more therapists who can deliver care through the medium of Welsh. To address this need, Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) introduced a brand-new speech and language therapy course in North Wales at Wrexham Glyndwr University - the first intake was in 2022/23. It will help develop a more diverse speech and language workforce across Wales and operate alongside the existing speech and language therapy course run by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
HEIW is responsible for the annual education and training commissioning process in Wales, to address workforce requirements on behalf of the NHS Wales.
There are currently 49 speech and language therapist training places available across Wales, split across the two training programmes operating in Wrexham and Cardiff. The number of student places was increased in 2020 by 10%, from 44 places to 49. The number remains at 49 for 2023/24, to match service demand.
HEIW will continue to engage with NHS health boards, trusts and wider stakeholder groups including Social Care Wales to create and inform the education and training plan for 2024/25. Ultimately it is HEIW’s responsibility to produce a plan that is deliverable within the context of the education and training capacity available.