We support and encourage therapists who have had a career break to return to the world of Speech and Language Therapy. As an independent organisation we enable therapists to build a caseload flexibly around home life or other working commitments.

Many therapists who work for Integrated Treatment Services choose flexibility as one of the main benefits of working for our service. Therapists have the flexibility to choose:

  • The hours that they work; weekdays, evening or weekends
  • The caseload level which suits them
  • The clients they work with in terms of clinical conditions and location

How do I return to the world of SLT?

If you are returning to work after a 2 year career break you will need to reapply to the HCPC as a returner to practice.

In order to return to the Register, health and care professionals will need to meet the following requirements, depending on how long they have been out of practice:

  • 0-2 years – no requirements
  • 2-5 years – 30 days of updating their skills and knowledge
  • 5 years or over – 60 days of updating their skills and knowledge

HCPC Returning to Practice Guidance

You will also need to reapply for your RCSLT Membership under the ‘Returner RCSLT member’ category.


Return to Practice Courses

You may wish to embark on a period of study to help update your skills and knowledge about the profession. There are a number of ‘return to practice’ courses in universities throughout the UK.

Birmingham City University have a distance learning course, which will count as ‘professional study’ on your re-application to HCPC.


How Integrated Treatment Services support your return to work…

Due to the The National Health Services face continued budget cuts, it is increasingly difficult for NQP and Returner to work professionals to secure a Speech and Language Therapy position.

This is due to the extra supervision and support that is required for professionals to return to work. Here at Integrated Treatment Services, we support therapists returning to work by;

  • Providing supervision and support
  • Providing learning opportunities and training courses
  • Enabling returners to the profession to shadow practicing therapists

Once you have completed your HCPC registration, you can then work independently with clients and build your caseload flexibly around your family life.


Thinking of a Career break – the challenges of returning to work

If you are considering a career break but are worried about your prospects if you are to return to work, then you may consider the following option.

You can remain a practicing member of the HCPC, despite practicing for a small number of hours per year. This would avoid you needing to complete a return to work registration and would mean re-employment may be easier to achieve.

With our flexible working arrangements therapists can work with 1 or 2 clients throughout their career break. This means your will work for a small number of hours per week enabling you to remain registered as a professional on the HCPC register and a fully qualified member of the RCSLT.


If you are returning to work or are considering a career break, get in touch with our careers team today. We can advise you on how you can achieve flexible working with us and perhaps rediscover the joy and rewards of the world of Speech and Language Therapy.

Contact us today by emailing careers@integratedtreatments.co.uk