NHS treatment and private practice in SLT
What is the difference?
Because the NHS is free (and long may it remain so), that is the obvious preference of most. There are not enough speech and language therapists. So there are unfortunately long waits for assessement and treatment. But that is the only difference between the NHS and private practice. Whatever we call ourselves, whether we call ourselves consultants, or senior specialists, or specialists, we are all speech and language therapists. Some of us have particular areas of experience and expertise. But speech and language therapy is not like medicine with different levels of expertise, tested by examination.
But some of us have PhD’s in some relevant area. In my case, I observed some massive asymmetries in the distribution of children’s speech errors over a very wide range of competences, from profoundly disordered young adults to normally developing small children, and I wondered whether these asymmetries might be related to the novel therapy which I discovered, largely by chance. 24 years on, I now think I can see a better way of making the connection here. So I have gone back to research and study, and am doing a second PhD.
On the basis of need
I work privately because I am past retirement age, but I don’t feel like retiring, and I think I still have something useful to offer.
But I believe strongly in the NHS. I have a dangerous propensity to septicemia. I have survived four episodes because of very prompt and effective action by the NHS and the ambulance service. I have been taught to recognise the signs, and to react promptly. The last time, I wass close to death by the time I got to hospital. I owe my life to the NHS. I am duly very grateful.
If people cannot afford my fees I charge less, even a lot less. But I can only treat people who keep all appointments unless they or their child is ill. And in that case they need to let me know, and give me enough time to be able to offer their appointment time to someone else. I cannot treat people who just don’t turn up.