RCSLT - Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

What value is there in allied health professional research?  To consider this question Sophie Chalmers, Hazel Roddam  and fellow researchers conducted a systematic review, which explored the value of research engagement specifically by AHPs, and also considered mechanisms which might connect research engagement with healthcare performance.  In this podcast Sophie and Hazel discuss their research and its implications.

We cover:
What is this new research and why it is important?What does it mean for allied health professionals?What does it mean for their organisations?How do AHPs develop their research skills?The launch of the multi professional research capabilities framework.
Interviewees:
Sophie Chalmers, Speech and Language Therapist & NIHR ARC-GM pre-doctoral fellow Dr Hazel Roddam, FRCSLT, HEE's Lead for the AHP Research & Innovation Strategy for England 2022 Resources:


1.   Link to paper being discussed
The value of allied health professional research engagement on healthcare performance: a systematic review
S. Chalmers, J. Hill, L. Connell, S. Ackerley, A. Kulkarni & H. Roddam, BMC Health Services Research, volume 23, Article number: 766 (2023) https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-023-09555-9 
 
2.   Link to bitesize resources from this paper:
Infographic: https://twitter.com/SChalmersSLT/status/1687172202553102336/photo/1

AHPs2mintalks video:
https://x.com/SChalmersSLT/status/1684863198434844673?s=20  

3. NIHR research capacity building funding streams
Information resource for all AHPs
https://cahpr.csp.org.uk/news/2024-03-12-new-nihr-research-training-development-career-awards

4.  NHS England Multi professional research capabilities framework launched February 2024
https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/research-framework-launched/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo


5. Related paper
‘It depends’: what 86 systematic reviews tell us about what strategies to use to support the use of research in clinical practice
Annette Boaz, Juan Baeza, Alec Fraser & Erik Persson
Implementation Science volume 19, Article number: 15 (2024)            https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13012-024-01337-z 

In April's news:
- The RCSLT Member survey is open now for members to have their say: www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-member-survey-2024/
- There are RCSLT board and committee vacancies open now, including lay positions:
www.rcslt.org/news/trustee-and-c…ee-vacancies-2024/
- RCSLT will be at Birmingham Pride in with partnership with the SLT Pride Network. Participating in Birmingham Pride is an opportunity for celebration and joy, as well as an important platform to voice the inequalities that still exist for the LGBTQIA+ community.
www.rcslt.org/news/join-the-rcsl…ide-in-birmingham/
- The third in a series of webinars about the Professional development framework is taking place on Thursday 25 April.
- Watch out for news on our upcoming RCSLT Connect events which will be around the UK.
- Hear about the National Audit Office report on the NHS Workforce plan: www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-welcome…hs-workforce-plan/
- RCSLT's response to separate nursing pay scale consultation www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-respons…cale-consultation/
- Waiting lists in Northern Ireland and media exposure there
- Parliamentary petitions:
Increase investment in speech and language therapy: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/657935
Review how to make Parliamentary debates inclusive of communication difference:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/658364
Please do take a few moments to respond to our podcast survey uk.surveymonkey.com/r/LG5HC3R
This interview was conducted by Victoria Harris, Head of Learning at The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and features Derek Munn, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the RCSLT and Cara McDonagh, Director of Engagement and Communications at the RCSLT.

In March's news:

- Response to the Budget
- Vacancies in speech and language therapy survey
- Nurses' pay scale response
- Buckland review of autism employment https://www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-response-to-the-buckland-review-of-autism-employment/
- Scottish Parliament committee evidence
- Ramadan guidance https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/RCSLT_Ramadan_Guidance_FINAL.pdf
- #InvestInSLT petition reaches 10,000 signatures: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/657935
- Swallow Awareness Day event in the Senedd


Please do take a few moments to respond to our podcast survey https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/LG5HC3R


This interview was conducted by Victoria Harris, Head of Learning at The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and features Derek Munn, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the RCSLT.

How can you support LGBTQIA+ colleagues in the workplace? In this podcast we speak with two of the authors of new guidance that deals with just that question.
We cover:
-  An introduction to the guidance, and supporting tools. 
- Why it matters.
- Why it is everyone's business, even if you do not identify as LGBTQIA+.
- How to use it as individuals or in teams.
- Understanding intersectionality.
Interviewees:
Kate Boot, Clinical Locality Lead (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Hampshire), Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner 
Jessica Davies, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist- Acute Medicine Team Lead, St Helier Hospital ,Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
 
Resources:
Guidance on supporting LGBTQIA+ colleagues in the workplace: a guide for all: https://www.rcslt.org/learning/diversity-inclusion-and-anti-racism/supporting-lgbtqia-colleagues-in-the-workplace-a-guide-for-all/ 
The interview was produced by Jacques Strauss, freelance digital producer.

In February's news:
-  RCSLT joins organisations from around Europe to declare a commitment to support children who face language challenges.
https://www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-joins-the-historic-launch-of-atlas-think-first-manifesto-at-the-house-of-lords/
- What the return to power sharing in Northern Ireland means for speech and language therapy: https://www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-ni-welcomes-assembly-motion/
- Local council cuts in Scotland.
- Wales to go big on Swallowing Awareness Day and update on youth justice summit. https://www.rcslt.org/news/rcslt-wales-plays-key-role-in-welsh-government-summit-on-youth-justice/
- Latest campaigning for the general election. https://www.rcslt.org/news/call-to-party-leaders-letstalkcommunication/
- Tell us about your vacancy situation in our latest vacnacies survey: https://www.rcslt.org/policy-and-influencing/uk-wide/vacancy-survey/
- and much more.


This interview was conducted by Victoria Harris, Head of Learning at The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and features Derek Munn, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the RCSLT.

What happens to children on a waiting list when they aren't receiving treatment? How many continue to need intervention and how many improve spontaneously? It's difficult to research because it's too hard to collect this data ethically and also without impacting the subjects and therefore potentially changing the results.

Nevertheless, occasional opportunities arise for reviewing data from waiting lists. In this podcast we chat with Elizabeth and Sue about their research into an ethnically diverse community paediatric speech and language therapy service waiting list in the UK, where levels of social disadvantage are high.


The paper is:  

Outcomes from a community speech and language therapy service treatment waiting list: The natural history of 525 children with identified speech and language needs
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1460-6984.12877

Elizabeth Hesketh, Paul White, Doug Simkiss & Sue Roulstone

First Published:
15 May 2023



Useful resources:
Outcome measurement overview: https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/guidance-for-delivering-slt-services/outcome-measurement/#section-2


RCSLT Online Outcome Tool ('ROOT'): https://rcslt-root.org


Interview with Professor Pam Enderby:  https://soundcloud.com/rcslt/rcslt-podcast-pam_enderby-31-07-2020


Find out more about ROOT: https://www.rcslt.org/speech-and-language-therapy/guidance-for-delivering-slt-services/outcome-measurement/#section-2


Enderby, P. and John, A. (2019) Therapy Outcome Measure User Guide. Croydon: J& R Press Ltd


Language growth in children with heterogeneous language disorders: a population study, Courtenay Frazier Norbury , George Vamvakas,  Debbie Gooch, Gillian Baird, Tony Charman , Emily Simonoff, Andrew Pickles
Child Psychol Psychiatry; 2017 Oct;58 (10) :109 2-1105., https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12793


PROTOCOL: Language interventions for improving oral language outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review - Nordahl‐Hansen - 2019 - Campbell Systematic Reviews - Wiley Online Library https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cl2.1062


NOTES:
For RCSLT members, access this paper by navigating to the IJLCD website from our A-Z journals list here. Also, if you would like further information on the research terms used in the podcast, or many other aspects of research design, please navigate to the ‘Sage Research Methods’ collection from the Research Methods page of the RCSLT website’.


The interview is conducted by Jacques Strauss, freelance producer, on behalf of The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Please be aware that the views expressed are those of the guests and not the RCSLT.