Due to financial pressures, the SLT workforce has had to adapt in several ways. 

Downbanding has been reported within the NHS, which has several knock-on effects. These effects include possible skills shortages, a decrease in the attractiveness of the profession and a lack of clinical leadership, which in turn could lead to problems with quality of care and long-term planning. 

Proposed workforce impact

• Downbanding could mean the profession becomes less attractive for those considering a career in the NHS as an SLT and existing SLTs may leave the profession, therefore creating supply problems.
• Downbanding in the NHS may mean other sectors become more appealing and financially rewarding.
• A lack of experienced SLTs could create problems of supervision for newly qualified SLTs and the development of an evidence base.

Sources or references

• http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/apr/27/nhs-reforms-speech-therapies
• http://www.cfwi.org.uk/publications/speech-and-language-therapists-workforce-risks-and-opportunities-education-commissioning-risks-summary-from-2012

Additional research questions

• What evidence is there of downbanding?
• If there has been downbanding, what has the impact of it upon the profession and service users?
• How have SLT services successfully reduced their budget while maintaining a good level of service and a content workforce?

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