‘Grave concerns’ as child speech and language therapy waiting times in Northern Ireland increase by 87% in a year

The number of children in Northern Ireland waiting for speech and language therapy (SLT) in April was almost 90% higher than the same month in 2021, new figures from the country’s commissioner for children and young people (NICCY) has revealed.

The monitoring report – released a year after the release of the NICCY’s ‘More Than A Number’ publication on child health waiting lists – found 4,574 children were awaiting therapy in April 2022 compared to 2,444 in 2021.

Almost 10,000 children are now waiting for an outpatient or same-day Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) appointment, while just over 4,250 children are on hold for an overnight/inpatient appointment.

Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma said: “The situation is now alarming, many children on waiting lists can be experiencing pain and discomfort, their education disrupted, their ability to forge childhood friendships, thrive and develop taken from them while they wait for healthcare in Northern Ireland.

“Parents’ hearts are breaking as they watch their children missing out on vital parts of childhood while they struggle to manage health conditions. If giving children ‘the best start in life’ is the Government’s aim, then the opposite is happening for thousands of children in Northern Ireland.

“Children should not be left waiting months or years in a queue to access services, they have a right to receive high quality healthcare without unnecessary delay, they deserve to experience childhood without struggling to manage health conditions.”

Helen Ferguson, Head of Policy and Influencing in Northern Ireland at the National Deaf Children’s Society, added the reported rise in SLT waiting lists is “of grave concern”, with “early development of language” being “crucial” for a deaf child’s “academic progress and emotional wellbeing”.

She said: “This therapy is essential for providing deaf children with the opportunity to develop their communication skills, speech patterns and vocalisations. Any protracted delay in their treatment may result in barriers to a child’s spoken language development.

“It’s heart-breaking that thousands of children and young people are having to put their lives on hold as they await an outpatient appointment. This completely unacceptable situation – undoubtedly hindered by the political instability – needs to be reversed, as a matter of urgency.”

Northern Ireland is currently without a devolved government, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) protesting against the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed between the UK and EU as part of the Brexit process.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.