What is RCSLT (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists)?

Updated

RCSLT is the professional body for speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the UK. It describes its purpose as "enabling better lives for people with communication and swallowing needs," and it supports SLTs by providing leadership and guidance, facilitating research, and promoting better education and training. If you are an SLT, a student, or someone looking for information about speech and language therapy, RCSLT is the main professional organisation to know.

What RCSLT does

RCSLT's work centres on three strands, according to its own description:

  • Leadership and guidance for speech and language therapists
  • Facilitating research in the field
  • Promoting better education and training

Alongside this, the organisation publishes news and updates on issues affecting the profession, such as calls to make speech and language therapy a Budget priority, support for amendments to the Health Bill on speech and language therapy, and announcements about its own staffing and services.

Who it serves

RCSLT serves two broad audiences:

Audience What they get
Speech and language therapists and students Professional leadership, guidance, CPD tools, networks, events, and membership benefits
The public Information about what speech and language therapy is and how SLTs support people with communication, speech, eating, drinking, and swallowing

Its public-facing content explains "all the ways that speech and language therapists support you and the people you care about," covering communication, speech, eating, drinking, and swallowing.

Resources and content

RCSLT hosts a range of material beyond formal guidance:

  • SLT Voices – blogs, articles, and case studies highlighting the perspectives of speech and language therapists and the breadth of expertise in the field. Examples include a piece on laughter and identity after laryngectomy, a student's experience of the RCSLT student leadership programme, and an article on "the hidden patterns behind names."
  • Events and webinars – including sessions such as a collaborative approach to accessible examinations (launch of the fourth edition of Language of Examinations), a CPD Portfolio webinar, and a Research Champions Workshop.
  • Professional Networks and membership benefits for those in the profession.

CPD: a change to be aware of

RCSLT is replacing its CPD Diary with a new online tool called the CPD Portfolio. The key dates from the site:

  • The CPD Diary will stop allowing users to add entries after 23 September.
  • In October 2026, the CPD Diary will be replaced by the CPD Portfolio.

If you currently use the CPD Diary, this is the practical detail to act on: add any outstanding entries before the cut-off, and watch for updates by email or on the CPD Portfolio information page for details and support.

When to use RCSLT

  • If you are an SLT or student in the UK – it is your professional body for guidance, CPD, networks, and events.
  • If you want to understand speech and language therapy – its public information and video explain what SLTs do and who they help.
  • If you follow policy or profession news – its news section covers advocacy and developments affecting the field.