Chapter 7
Conclusion
7.1
This inquiry into the prevalence and incidence of speech, language and
swallowing disorders in Australia, and the availability of services to treat
these disorders, has been important. It is the first time that a federal
parliamentary committee has focussed on the issue of the availability and
adequacy of speech pathology services in Australia. As such, it has allowed
many people who suffer from these conditions, as well as their parents and
carers, the opportunity to have their voice heard and considered by the
Parliament. This process has been valuable in itself. This report should be
read in conjunction with the accounts of these submitters who experience, and
care for those with, these disorders on a daily basis. The committee again
thanks these submitters for their insights and their contribution to this
inquiry.
7.2
The committee is also grateful to Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) for
its leadership and guidance throughout the inquiry process. SPA proposed this
inquiry in 2011. Once referred in late 2013, SPA was instrumental in publicising
the inquiry among its members, encouraging submissions from its members and
suggesting options for the committee's site visits. SPA has also provided the
committee with information and advice throughout this inquiry on matters of
committee interest.
7.3
As chapter 3 observed, a notable feature of this inquiry was the lack of
reliable data on the prevalence of speech and language disorders as a whole,
but quite substantial data on the number of people affected by particular
disorders. There is no official data on the prevalence of speech and language
disorders in Australia. SPA offered an estimate of 1.1 million Australians that
are affected by speech, language and swallowing disorders, adding that it this
figure is an under-estimate. There is, however, some excellent research data on
the incidence and prevalence of specific disorders in Australia, such as
stuttering and aphasia.
The need for collaboration with key stakeholders
7.4
This report has made several recommendations aimed at identifying the
dimensions of the demand and the supply of speech pathology services in
Australia. Most of these recommendations are addressed to the federal
Department of Health. To recap, the committee has recommended that the Department:
-
consider the data that is currently available through Research
Centres and academic studies, and the data that is necessary to identify the
areas of current and prospective need for speech pathology services. It should
then consider where there are gaps, the need and the benefit of filling these
gaps and how this information could best be gathered (recommendation 1);
-
assess the need, the practicality and the likely cost of
gathering further data through the Australian Bureau of Statistics, particularly
through the National Census, the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set
and the Nationally Consistent Data Collection on School Students with
Disability tool (recommendation 1);
-
assess the financial cost, timeframe and research benefits of a
project that maps language support services across Australia against the
Australian Early Development Index information about vulnerable communities
(recommendation 3);
-
develop a position paper on the likely impact of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on speech pathology services in Australia.
The paper should consider, among other matters, the need for greater numbers of
trained speech pathologists as a result of increased demand for speech
pathologist services arising from the introduction of the NDIS (recommendation 5);
-
develop a strategy to broaden the opportunities for speech
pathology students to undertake clinical placements that satisfy the
profession's Competency-based Occupational Standards (recommendation 6);
-
investigate the evidence of geographical and demographic
clustering of speech pathology services in Australia, with particular reference
to the proportion of new graduates moving into regional and remote areas of
Australia and the attitude of graduates generally to working in a regional or
remote location (recommendation 7); and
-
prepare a position paper on the most appropriate model of service
provision for speech pathologists working in early childhood intervention
services, the education system, the justice system, the health system and the
residential aged-care environment (recommendation 8).
7.5
In the committee's view, the recommendations made in this report are the
platform that is needed to begin to address the concerns of people with speech
and language disorders, their parents and carers and the concerns of the profession.
They impress the need for an evidence-based, collaborative approach to identifying
and addressing these needs.
7.6
The successful implementation of these recommendations will depend on a
genuinely collaborative approach among a range of key stakeholders. For
example, recommendation 1 on the current gaps in data and the merit of
gathering further data through the ABS will require broad-based consultation
among a wide range of stakeholders. This task should be informed by a range of
organisations including, but not limited to:
-
Speech Pathology Australia;
-
the Centre for Clinical Research Excellence Aphasia
Rehabilitation;
-
the Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Childhood Language;
-
the Australian Stuttering Research Centre;
-
the Centre for Community Child Health;
-
the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research;
-
the Centre for Research Excellence in improving health services
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children;
-
the Heads of Discipline in Speech pathology from the Australian
universities offering speech pathology courses;
-
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare;
-
the State and Territory Governments;
-
the Australian Bureau of Statistics;
-
the Department of Social Services;
-
the federal Department of Education; and
-
the federal Department of Employment.
7.7
It will be important to engage a similarly broad cross-section of
stakeholders to undertake the position papers on the likely impact of the NDIS
on speech pathology services and the most appropriate model for service
provision in different settings.
7.8
The committee is aware of some support—most notably from SPA—for a
National Taskforce or a National Council for Speech Pathology. This option
should not be discounted. There may be merit in the introduction of a formal
platform to carry out some of the work the committee has outlined in this
report and manage the task of targeting these services to areas of current and
project demand. In the first instance, however, the committee believes that
these tasks should be addressed by the federal government in partnership with
key stakeholders from academia, the speech pathology profession and the state
and territory governments.
7.9
Chapter 2 of this report focussed on why early and effective
intervention in speech and language disorders is so important. In the
committee's view, the key message that the federal government must convey is
the significant benefits to both the individual and society from a strategy
that prioritises early intervention of speech and language disorders.
7.10
This inquiry highlights the costs to the individual and to society from
delays in intervention and failure to treat conditions and emphasises the
significant personal benefit from access to timely, professional speech
pathology services.
7.11
On both fronts—the benefits and the costs—the evidence that committee
has gathered during this inquiry is compelling. What is now needed is a
collaborative effort across the profession, and with the assistance of
government, to research the precise dimensions of the problem and the best
strategies to recognise the benefits of effective early intervention.
Recommendation 10
7.12
The committee recommends that the federal government, working
with state and territory governments, consider the costs to the individual and
to society of failing to intervene in a timely and effective way to address
speech and language disorders in Australia and address these issues in the
development of relevant policies and programs.
7.13
The committee recommends that the federal government work with
state and territory governments and stakeholders to ensure that parents and
carers have access to information about the significance of speech and language
disorders and the services that they can access to address them.
Senator Rachel Siewert
Chair
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