Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Did You Know?

• The RCSLT's monthly membership magazine is called Bulletin.
• The International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders is the RCSLT's international research journal.
• Nick Hewer has been the RCSLT president since 1 April 2019.

History

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists began in 1945 as the College of Speech Therapists, created from the merger of two earlier groups. That same year, its fellows and licentiates could join the Register of Medical Auxiliaries, but by 1955 the College left that register and started its own member directory. King George VI, who had speech therapy for his stammer, became its first patron in 1948. After his death, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother took over as patron in 1959. The college gained the title "Royal College" in 1995.

Work

The RCSLT is a professional membership body that promotes the art and science of speech and language therapy for the public benefit, focusing on care for individuals with communication, swallowing, eating, and drinking difficulties. Its professional aims include providing leadership and setting standards for speech therapists in the UK, facilitating research, promoting education and training, and offering information to members and the public. One of its members, Dr. Pamela Enderby, was the lead claimant in a landmark equal pay case in the NHS. In 1986, she argued that her work and that of her colleagues, mostly women, was of equal value to clinical psychologists, who were predominantly men. The case involved twenty-six court appearances, 2,000 applicants, and sixteen test cases, and the resulting compensation cost the government approximately £30 million in back-pay. This case led the Labour government to institute a review of pay and grading scales through the Agenda for Change.

Membership

In March 2022, membership stood at 20,000, including 14,461 UK practising members, 908 UK nonpracticing members, 448 retired, 314 overseas, 1,105 students, and 186 associates. A 2018 survey of 2,700 respondents found the mean age of members was 42, with 73% employed by the NHS. In the financial year 2016–2017, the college had income of over £4.2 million and expenditure of over £4.3 million, with 79% of income from membership.

Awards

The Giving Voice Awards, launched in 2010, celebrate organisations and individuals that have campaigned to highlight how speech and language therapy transforms lives or have made significant contributions to improving the lives of people with communication or swallowing needs. The Voice Box awards are an annual joke-telling competition for primary school children; in the 2018-19 competition over 5,000 schoolchildren took part, with ten finalists in a live final in London. The RCSLT also elects members annually for its Fellowship Award, recognising speech and language therapists and assistants who have demonstrated impact beyond their core role.