Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that speech and language therapy for children with Down syndrome is delivered on a preventative basis from infancy.

National Health Service guidance sets out information on how to help children and young people with Down syndrome, including that they may need the support of a Speech and Language Therapist. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/downs-syndrome/how-to-help-children-and-young-people/

Through implementation of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, we want to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome.

Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.

We considered a range of evidence from our Call for Evidence and engagement when developing the draft Down syndrome guidance, currently out for public consultation, including research on speech and language therapy (SLT).

The draft guidance highlights that people with Down syndrome are likely to have communication needs and sets out support that can be provided, including that people with Down syndrome should be able to access speech and language assessment and support in a timely manner.

The draft guidance is clear that NHS commissioners and providers may offer people with Down syndrome and their families and carers a range of SLT services and interventions to support their communication, tailored to their specific needs. This should include early intervention services starting from birth, continuing through early years to support a good start in life, and then into primary and secondary school and beyond.

The draft guidance is also clear that support should be tailored to individual needs, and it is also important that local systems have the discretion to determine how best to meet the needs of their local communities.