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Adult Community speech and language therapy service
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About the service
The service is available to patients registered with a Barnsley GP, presenting with speech, language, communication and/or swallowing difficulties and who meet our referral criteria.
We offer
• Telehealth and face to face appointments based on clinical need
• Specialised assessment and therapy
Why would someone choose the service?
• 100% of people felt more able to manage their condition because of help from the service and felt the service reduced their need to access other services, for example accident and emergency, hospital
• We provide holistic patient-centred care and treatment which treats the whole person, taking into account physical, psychological, social and environmental factors
• We have excellent links and joint working with colleagues such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietitians, community nursing and multi-disciplinary specialist teams
• We offer flexible appointment times and modes of therapy delivery including telehealth and computer-based treatment
Staff you may meet
- Administrative staff provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.
- Dietitians use the science of food to help people to make good choices about food and lifestyle. Nutrition is an important part of recovery and wellbeing. All service users admitted to a Trust ward have their nutritional state assessed.
- There are more than 60 different specialities that doctors work within the NHS. Each is unique but there are many characteristics which are common. Roles range from working in a hospital to being based in the community as a GP.
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- Nursing or healthcare assistants work in hospital or community settings under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. They help doctors, nurses and therapists give people the care and treatment they need.
- Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.
- The NHS employs a wide range of clinical staff, it wouldn’t be possible to list them all on this website! All our clinical staff are skilled, dedicated professionals who adhere to high standards of training and work-place practice.
- Physiotherapists help people to improve their range of movement in order to promote health and well being. This can help people to live more independently.
- Adult psychotherapists work with people to assess and treat a range of emotional, social or mental health issues. They help people tackle problems such as behavioural issues, common challenges such as anxiety and depression or more complex or severe issues, such as psychosis or a personality disorder diagnosis.
- Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.
- Therapy is a broad term and can range from occupational therapists to behavioural therapists. Our therapists are trained in their specialist area and type of therapy to make sure we can offer the very best care.
Why a professional should choose the service
• Strong clinical governance
• Strong safeguarding practice
• Excellent service user feedback: 9 out of 10 carers would recommend our service to family and friends
• Assessment and therapy provided in a variety of settings to meet patient needs and to ensure continuity of speech and language therapy throughout the patient journey
• Evidenced based knowledge and skills to provide excellent outcomes and recovery
• The service can provide support to families and carers including those who are palliative and/or in the last days of life
Support offered
• Triage – People referred to the service will be offered a triage appointment. If they need further help they will be offered an assessment and a package of care
• Assessment and treatment – The speech and language therapist may see patients individually, as part of a group, face to face or via telehealth (telephone, video call) depending on their needs. They may give advice about practical support or exercises to practice
• Discharge – Once the package of care is complete, patients are discharged from the service
Outcomes
Speech and language therapists working with people with communication difficulties will
- Assess an individual’s communication and social interaction
- Provide individualised treatment interventions
- Promote functional communication
- Train individuals and their families/carers in ways to facilitate communication
- Assess mental capacity when required
- Assess for Alternative and Augmentative Communication
Speech and language therapists working with swallowing difficulties will
- Play an important role in the diagnosis of dysphagia and may contribute to a medical diagnosis
- Help people improve their swallow through exercises, techniques and positioning
- Promote patient safety through modifying the texture of food and fluids, reducing the risk of malnutrition, dehydration and choking
- Promote quality of life, taking into account individual preferences and beliefs, and helping them adjust to living with swallowing difficulties
- Work with other healthcare staff to optimise nutrition and hydration
- Educate and train others in identifying, assessing and managing dysphagia, including families and the wider health and care workforce
Overall Outcome
- Self-management skills – our aim is to enable service users and/or their carers to effectively support their own speech, language, communication and/or swallowing skills
- Improving the knowledge of the workforce to reduce the impact of speech, language and communication difficulties and/or swallowing difficulties
Referral criteria:
The service is available to patients registered with a Barnsley GP, presenting with speech, language, communication and/or swallowing difficulties and who meet our referral criteria.
People who are experiencing difficulties resulting from Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Motor Neurone Disease, Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy, Multi System Atrophy, respiratory illness e.g. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, general decline and End of Life Care may benefit from a referral. Support is also available for people with Developmental Language Disorder or who stammer.
Referral exclusions
- Patients with a newly acquired traumatic brain injury are seen by the Neurological Rehabilitation Team, for the first 6 months after injury. After discharge, further help can be requested from our team.
- Patients who have had a stroke are seen by Stroke Rehabilitation Services, for up to 6 months post onset. After discharge, further help can be requested from our team.
- Patients with disorders of Voice and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) related conditions such as Head and Neck Cancer or Vocal Nodules should be referred to ear, nose and throat services at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust via their General Practitioner Services (GP) using the Electronic Referral System (ERS)
- Patients with Learning Disability/Autism should be referred to the Barnsley Adult Learning Disability Health Service (01226 645237)
- Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy do not offer a service for patients with mental health-related eating and drinking difficulties such as Pica or eating non-food substances. However, if they are having swallowing difficulties, please refer.
Referral process
Referrals are accepted from all medically qualified practitioners. All referrals should be made using the on-line referral form.