Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much is allocated each year in the NHS Budget for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. provision.

Information on the number of people or by diagnosis type who would benefit from the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services is not held centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement commission services for patients requiring specialised assessment and/or equipment. However, the majority of patients are seen within local speech and language services. The NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioning budget for specialised AAC services is approximately £19 million.

The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, which are independent statutory bodies. The knowledge and use of AAC forms part of the pre-registration learning curriculum for speech and language therapists.