It’s never pleasant to have to face up to such a reality, but when a course of speech and language therapy has been recommended for your own child, all that matters is getting them the best help available. For all its imperfections, there’s really no disputing the fact that the UK has perhaps the best national healthcare system in the whole world. But at the same time, there are instances in which the benefits of seeking private help go above and beyond those of the free state healthcare on offer. And of course, when it’s the development and general wellbeing of a child that’s on the line, corner-cutting simply isn’t an option.
Up and down the UK, a great many private speech therapists are offering an extraordinary range of services, which although paid in nature come with several considerable advantages. So if any child in your life is facing a situation where speech therapy of any kind is needed, here’s a quick overview of the most important benefits to expect when going private:
1 – Immediate Care Provision
First and perhaps foremost, it’s no secret that when it comes to any and all developmental issues with children, early detection, diagnosis and treatment are all essential. The quicker any required care or treatment is provided, the higher their chance of combatting their speech and language issues in order to ensure happy and healthy development. With resources pushed to limits as they are, NHS care may be inevitably delayed for weeks or even months, during which time the child’s speech and language issues may worsen.
2 – Intensive Treatment Where Needed
There will always be those childhood speech development issues that take quite some time to combat, whereas others can benefit from shorter term intensive treatment or language therapy. Once again, limited NHS resources often make the latter of the two difficult to arrange and come by – periodic appointments over a lengthy period of time are far more common. By contrast, if and when a private therapist decides that what’s needed is intensive treatment and therapy, it can be provided both immediately and concentrated into a much smaller period of time. In instances where prompt and intensive action is needed, this is really the only way to go for the child’s benefit.
3 – In Your Own Time
Another of the outstanding conveniences of choosing private speech therapists is the way in which most will be more than happy to arrange visits and appointments for the times that are most convenient for you and your child. With NHS appointments, there’s generally far less flexibility which often means taking time off work, taking the kids out of school and in some instances travelling long distances at rather unfortunate hours of the day. Private practitioners on the other hands work around the schedules of their clients.
4 – Industry-Leading Professionals
While it’s not to say that many of the therapists working for the NHS are not at the top of their game, it’s generally much easier to look into the credentials of a private speech therapist and make your choice accordingly. When you go private, you generally find yourself presented with a group of the most qualified and experienced professionals on the market with the kinds of track records that speak for themselves. Often with NHS therapists, it’s a case of taking whoever is available at the earliest possible juncture, with no further questions being asked.
5 – Dedicated, Personal Care
Last but not least, one of the biggest problems faced by NHS therapists working in the modern healthcare industry is the way in which they face overloaded and chaotic schedules on a day in and day out basis, just to keep up. This is inevitable as the population of the UK continues to expand and as more parents begin to understand the value of speech therapy. By contrast, private therapists and the offices in which they work are able to manage and balance their workloads with much more precision and breathing room. As a result, they are able to build much more reassuring, personal relationships with their clients in order to provide a wholly superior level of service. The key to successful therapy lies in feeling as if you’re the centre of the therapist’s world and that they genuinely care for both you and for what they do. With quality private childhood speech therapy, this can be expected and delivered as standard.
For more information, book a private consultation at the earliest opportunity – a service that should be offered 100% free of charge and without obligation.
