A regional perspective on retention in speech and language therapy

There are concerns across the East of England, nationally and globally about the retention of speech and language therapists (SLTs). Research to date has identified some key factors including low job satisfaction and financial incentivisation as being related to attrition of SLTs (McLaughlin, Lincoln and Adamson, 2008; McLaughlin et al., 2010; Ewen et al., 2021). However, context is important to consider and the NHS recommends local exploration of retention issues and development of context-specific strategies to enhance it (NHS England, 2023). The report provides an overview of a project undertaken between January 2024-October 2024 exploring retention of SLTs in the East of England. The project involved a survey, interviews and a co-design workshop, to explore what SLTs employed by organisations in Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) and Norfolk and Waveney (N&W) felt were the main attractions and deterrents for staying in or leaving their jobs. Good practice and recommendations were developed which target the specific issues raised.