Making a referral
eating and drinking referrals
- Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (Health Visitors and School Nurses)
- GPs
- Consultants
- Dietitians
- Occupational Therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Other medically trained professionals
We also accept referrals from the senior leadership team at Greenacre school (for Greenacre pupils) and the specialist nursery nurses working in the community paediatrics team.
If you are worried about a child’s eating and drinking, use our referral form as a checklist to help you decide if a referral is needed. Download our referral form here
speech, language and communication referrals
- selective mutism – Selective mutism is a severe anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or with relatives they do not see very often. As this is an anxiety disorder we do not offer a service for this condition. If you are concerned that the child or young person has other speech, language and communication difficulties, use the referral form as a checklist to decide if a referral is needed. To discuss a referral about selective mutism contact Branching Minds on 01226 107377.
- voice difficulties – We do not offer a service for children or young people with voice difficulties e.g. concerns about pitch, tone, voice quality. These children are seen by the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (BHNFT). Contact them on 01226 432377.
- autism spectrum disorder assessment team (ASDAT) – This team is managed by Barnsley Hospital. If your child is on this pathway for autism assessment you do not need to make a separate referral to our service as any assessment will be arranged by the ASDAT team if required. Contact them on 01226 644876.
how to refer
If you would like any guidance on how to complete a referral form, you can watch our a short video on our YouTube channel.
Return the completed referral form
- By email to: barnsley.speechtherapy@swyt.nhs.uk
Or
- By post: Children’s Speech and Language Therapy, The Lodge, Kendray Hospital, Doncaster Road, Barnsley, S70 3RD
what happens next
For eating and drinking referrals, a speech and language therapist will call the parent/legal guardian to gather some more information about the child’s needs.
For speech, language and communication referrals, when we receive the referral, we will send a text message to the parent/legal guardian to let them know that the referral has been received. Due to increased demand following the recent pandemic and a national shortage of speech and language therapists, there will be a wait for the first appointment. When we have an appointment available, we will contact the parent/legal guardian to book a telephone appointment. The child does not need to be present for this first appointment.
help while you are waiting for an appointment
We have lots of resources, video advice and guidance for parents and carers to use while they are waiting for an appointment Link to advice and resources. If a child does not meet our referral criteria, parents and carers can still use the resources provided.