ABSTRACT: Find a speech therapist. In the UK speech therapists must be registered with the Health Professions Council. Your local NHS speech and language therapy department can give you details of available services. You can find your local Primary Care Trust through an online Directory. For private speech therapy, contact one of the independent associations or, again, your local NHS speech therapy service.

Health Professions Council

In order to protect the public, and ensure that they receive proper care from appropriately qualified speech therapists, the Health Professions Council (HPC) regulates both the speech therapy profession and the titles that individuals may legitimately use to carry out their profession. Anyone advertising themselves as – or in any way claiming to be – a speech and language therapist/speech therapist must be registered with the HPC.

Do not, therefore, enter into a contract with anyone claiming to be a speech and language therapist/speech therapist who is not registered.

You can check that a practitioner is registered using HPC Check, as follows:

http://hpc-portal.co.uk/online-register/

In addition, you can read about the professional standards that must be maintained here:

http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/standards/

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)

This is the professional body of and for speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Website: http://www.rcslt.org/

The College offers the following advice regarding finding a speech and language therapist:

"If you think you, or your child or relative needs to see a speech and language therapist ask your GP, district nurse, health visitor, your child's nursery staff or teacher for a referral.

You can also refer yourself to your local speech and language therapy service. You do not have to wait for someone else to refer you.

Ring your local primary care trust (PCT) and ask for the telephone number of your local NHS speech and language therapy service. Use your local phone book, the Online Directory of Primary Care Trusts or ask at your GP surgery to find the number of your local PCT."

Online Directory of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)

Primary care is the care provided by people you normally see when you first have a health problem. It might be a visit to a doctor, an optician or a speech and language therapist. You can find the contact details of your local PCT here:

http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/PrimaryCareTrustListing.aspx

Private Speech Therapy

The Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) holds a database of independent speech and language therapists. All ASLTIP members are certified members of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and are registered with the Health Professions Council. As such they adhere to their guidelines and regulations.

Website: http://www.helpwithtalking.com/

You can use their Locate a Therapist database to find a therapist in your area:

http://www.helpwithtalking.com/find-a-therapist

Note: Whilst ASLTIP members are also members of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, please note that is not a requirement that qualified speech and language therapists must be members of this College in order to practise their profession in the UK. Similarly, speech therapists do not have to be members of ASLTIP to work privately. The only essential requirement is that the speech therapist is registered with the Health Professions Council.

As not all private speech and language therapists are members of ASLTIP, several therapists will, therefore, not be found in the ASLTIP database. Therefore, it is useful to do an internet search of your local area (e.g. private speech therapy London) and also to contact your local NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service (see below).

Your local NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service

It is sometimes the case that therapists who work in the NHS also work privately (and may not be members of ASLTIP). Consequently, if you are seeking a private therapist it is worth phoning your local NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service and asking if they know of anyone locally who is willing to undertake private work.

Credits:

HPC Check logo is a trademark ™ of the Health Professions Council

The RCSLT logo is © Copyright RCSLT (Registered Charity Number: 273724)

The ASLTIP logo is © Copyright ASLTIP

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