The number of speech pathologists and occupational therapists (OTs) in Australia has grown by thousands in recent years. However, they are still unable to keep up with growing demand from the NDIS, industry sources say.
In private practice patients can be on waiting lists for a year or more before getting an appointment, while some employers say advertised jobs have remained vacant for months or even years.
Clinicians say lengthy delays in accessing services could have a negative impact on patients' long-term health outcomes.
When Yasmin Aman's daughter Jud Mahmoud was a little over a year old, the family noticed her speech wasn't progressing as fast as that of her peers.
Ms Aman put her daughter's name on waiting lists for speech pathologists all across Melbourne.
"When she was nearing two, it was a time she was supposed to speak up. It was a very necessary time, I was worried she would miss out on key development," Ms Aman said.
Her daughter is now 2 years and 9 months old and has just had her first appointment with a speech pathologist. She is still on the waiting list for an OT.
"I feel much better now I have got some professional help," she said.
"But I can't really get the time back and that's sad.
Demand outstripping workforce growth
National President of Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) Tim Kittel said there has been an "exponential increase" in the number of speech pathologists in Australia.
SPA believe they represent about 80 per cent of the industry. Three years ago they had about 9,000 members, today memberships top 13,000.
"Although speech pathology is increasing in terms of its graduates, it's still not keeping up with the demand from the public," he said.
Mr Kittel said the primary cause of rising demand for allied health services including speech pathology was the NDIS.
There are now long waitlists across the country. Mr Kittel said accessing services in regional areas and the public sector was particularly difficult.
"That's really quite frightening, because if you've got a difficulty at the age of three and if you are on a waiting list for over a year … then that gap becomes more apparent and more tricky to treat."
The situation is similar for occupational therapists.
In the past three years the number of OTs registered with Australia's health regulator AHPRA has gone up dramatically, with an additional 3,700 practitioners entering the workforce.
President of Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) Carol McKinstry said the workforce needed to keep growing to keep up with demand.
"We've called on the next government of Australia to work with us to design and fund workforce measures focused on meeting the need of an expanded occupational therapy workforce," she said.
OTA want it to be easier for allied health professionals to re-enter the workforce after extended absences, and more professionals recruited from overseas.
"We would also welcome occupational therapy being put on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List," she said.
"Despite known workforce shortages, occupational therapy isn't currently on this list."
Unable to fill job for four years
It's not just parents having trouble finding allied health workers.
On jobs website Seek there are currently 1,900 job ads Australia-wide for speech pathologists and 6,800 for occupational therapists.
Colac Specialist School principal Cameron Peverett has been trying to employ a speech pathologist at the school for the past four years without success.
"We've been advertising it at a higher rate than what you would normally get," he said.
"Before the NDIS was introduced I didn't have a problem finding speech pathologists, OTs or physiotherapists to work in school.
"My understanding is since the NDIS rolled out those speechies have been absorbed into private practice."
Without a speech pathologist at the school, Mr Peverett said staff are missing out on valuable professional development and students are missing out on speech therapy in an educational setting.
"Having speech pathologists in schools is all about access to education," he said.
"It helps lift the outcomes for all children."
Director of healthcare charity the Little Bugs Foundation, Renato Ulpiano, said he has been trying to recruit a senior occupational therapist for the past three months.
"We've not had one applicant," he said.
"We've been operating since 2013 and we didn't have this problem before COVID."
Multiple job offers for graduates
The high demand for speech pathologists and OTs means new graduates are highly employable.
Balwyn North speech pathologist Jenny Li finished her masters in March 2021. Within days she received an unsolicited job offered through Linked In.
"My employer messaged me and asked to have a chat and then I sent my resume," she said.
Ms Li enjoys her work and said most of her classmates were offered a job before they graduated.
"It was not hard to find work," she said.
"We have hired two more speech pathologists in the clinic. We are trying to shorten the waiting list but we get new referrals every day."
