Speech and language therapists 'heartbroken' over children’s disability services, study finds
They said this highlights critical flaws in the Children Disability Network Team model which needs reform, with experienced clinicians leaving the public system in favour of private practice – a move that risks deepening health inequalities.
Speech and language therapists describe feeling “heartbroken” and having a “constant feeling of unmet need and upset families”, as large caseloads and staffing issues prevent them offering vital care to children.
A new study from researchers at University College Cork and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences found that such therapists working in children’s disability services are unable to deliver the direct interventions that children urgently need.
