Our Children’s Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team are working to reduce the Speech and Language Therapy waiting list for children. They've partnered with Mable, a digital platform with access to around 50 Speech and Language Therapists who can offer flexible assessments at families’ convenience.

The main aim of the partnership is to reduce waiting times, particularly for those who had been waiting the longest. Within two weeks, 147 young people had started their assessment journey between our SALT team and Mable, and 64 assessments were completed. 25 young people were also discharged with appropriate advice, strategies, and support. 

The team is working closely with Mable to maintain high-quality care, ensuring a safe transition of children and information between teams. Safeguards are in place to uphold continuity of care, clinical oversight, in-person follow-ups where necessary, and appropriate onward referrals, including the management of any safeguarding concerns. Now that the partnership is established, the team are making a meaningful impact in supporting young people and their families who have been waiting the longest to be seen for assessment. The progress of this has been much faster than through standard service delivery.

Children's Therapies Service Manager, Carly Hartshorn, said: "This initiative is helping some of the longest-waiting children on the Speech and Language Therapy list receive input as quickly as possible. The team have been working extremely hard to identify families who would benefit from this support and assisting them in accessing assessments.

"A special mention goes to Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist, Kate Myers, for overseeing the project, and to Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, Beth Haworth, who despite being new to the team, has contacted hundreds of families to ensure they receive timely care—a huge thank you for your ongoing efforts!’