Advances in medical care and treatment mean life expectancies have increased and patients can expect to survive with complex conditions they previously may not have had.

This has an impact upon both adult and child services, with premature baby survival rates increasing, and an increasing number of adult surviving serious conditions such as stroke and cancer, as well as being able to live longer with complex long-term conditions such as dementia. As a result, these individuals may require more complex interventions and a specialist workforce will be needed for this. Rehabilitation will also need to be planned earlier in the care pathway, with a longer-term care plan.

Proposed workforce impact

• SLTs may need to increase their specialisation (possibly through post-registration training) to cope with complex needs.
• There may be an increase in demand for specialised SLT services.

Sources or references

• http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/12December/Pages/Premature-birth-survival-rates-on-the-rise.aspx
• http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/1/2/e000269.full

 

Additional research questions

• Are survival rate trends likely to carry on, or will they plateau?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.