Professional Information

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists:  www.rcslt.org

Research

Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit www.speech-therapy.org.uk

Clinical information

Stammering:  British Stammering Association www.stammering.org

Voice Disorders: British Voice Association www.british-voice-association.com

Laryngectomy: National Association of Laryngectomee Clubs www.laryngectomy.org.uk

Stroke: Stroke Association www.stroke.org.uk

Speakability www.speakability.org.uk

Bristol Area Stroke Foundation www.stroke-bristol.org

Dementia: Alzheimers Society www.alzheimers.org.uk     

Head Injury: Headway www.headway.org.uk

Parkinson’s Disease Association www.parkinsons.org.uk

Motor Neurone Disease Association www.mndassociation.org

Pick’s Disease Association www.pdsg.org.uk

Multiple Sclerosis Society www.mssociety.org.uk

Multiple System Atrophy: Sarah Matheson Trust www.msaweb.co.uk

Huntington’s Disease Association www.hda.org.uk

Royal National Institute for the Deaf www.rnid.org.uk

Royal National Institute for the Blind www.rnib.org.uk

Disability Charity: SCOPE www.scope.org.uk

Changing Faces www.changingfaces.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support www.macmillan.org.uk

Head of Service
Catherine Hamilton

SLT Team Leaders

Outpatient Lead
Anna Tucker

Inpatient/Videofluoroscopy Lead
Renee Robinson

Inpatient/FEES Lead
Helen Spear

Hearing Therapy
Helen Merry

If you have a communication problem and would like to speak to a Speech and Language Therapist, you or a family member or carer can contact us directly to discuss if a referral would be appropriate for you. If so, you can either ask your GP to refer you to Speech and Language Therapy or you can refer yourself. 

If you are having difficulty with your voice you will usually need to be seen by an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor before being referred for Speech and Language Therapy at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.  If you are unable to speak to us over the telephone but have access to the internet, you can email us with your queries.

As we are unable to accept swallowing referrals directly from patients or their family or carers, please contact your GP to discuss this with them.

We prioritise all of the referrals according to their urgency and endeavour to see people as quickly as possible. Once we receive your referral, you will be sent a letter acknowledging this and informing you of our current waiting times. You are welcome to contact the Speech and Language Therapy Department at any time, if you have further information that may be helpful, or to discuss any issues, questions or concerns you may have.

The Hearing Therapy service is based in the Brunel building and is available to people admitted to Southmead Hospital Bristol.

Hearing Therapy offers an assessment and management service to clients with communication difficulties due to a sudden or progressive deafness. This includes assistance in alternative communication strategies and assessment for hearing equipment.
Hearing Therapy promotes better communication between the client, their carers and the multi-disciplinary team.

Twice weekly Videofluoroscopy Swallowing Clinics are held at Southmead Hospital.

Referrals to these clinics will be agreed between the Speech & Language Therapist and your doctor.

SLTs provide assessment, diagnosis, therapy and support for people, as appropriate, as well as advice and support to families, carers and hospital staff involved with patient care.

SLTs liaise closely with the inpatient multidisciplinary teams and are involved in supporting the person’s discharge from hospital. They liaise and work with the person’s GP and community services, to support any assessment and management when they are at home. This can be in the person’s own home or residential/nursing home in the community.

SLTs assess, diagnose and manage swallowing disorders (dysphagia) associated with acquired neurological illnesses, stroke, head and neck surgery, palliative care and respiratory complications (e.g. tracheostomy).

Early intervention is desirable.

SLTs contribute to the diagnosis and management of swallowing difficulties and work as part of the multi-disciplinary team. Our aim is to identify those individuals who have the potential for aspiration (i.e. inhalation of food, fluid, saliva, and reflux) and to ensure that eating and drinking is safe and sufficient.

We will provide written information about the nature of the swallowing disorder, results of assessments, agreed oral intake and any appropriate swallowing strategies in the person’s medical notes/outpatient care plan. Further investigation via Videofluoroscopy (i.e. a video X-ray of the swallow) or endoscopy may be required).

SLTs provide acute and rehabilitation services to people who have communication problems (such as aphasia, dysarthria, dysphonia) when they are inpatients, outpatients or in the community. These may be the result of stroke, progressive neurological illness, traumatic brain injury, fluency disorders (e.g. stammering), or palliative care needs.

People who are referred to SLT may have difficulty expressing themselves clearly. Some (e.g. people who have had a stroke or those with a progressive neurological illness, such as dementia) may also have difficulty understanding what is said to them. They may not be able to read and write as well as they used to. They may not be able to tell their family how they feel or what they want to do. If people are unable to communicate using speech, they may benefit from a referral to the Bristol Communication Aids Service.

SLTs will provide information on the nature of the communication problem and will carry out thorough assessments to determine the most effective intervention for an individual. They may implement programmes of therapy if appropriate or give advice and support to carers, to ensure that people are able to communicate as effectively as possible. SLTs will work with individuals, groups, and their families or carers.

Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) covering acute and outpatient services at North Bristol NHS Trust for adults over the age of 18 years are based at Southmead and Cossham Hospitals.

Close links are maintained with SLTs working in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire areas. Joint working is promoted with the Adult Learning Difficulty SLTs for their clients, who may require access to specialist SLT Services (e.g. stammering, Videofluoroscopy) provided in North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT).

The Service does not accept referrals for adults with developmental speech or language disorders, congenital deafness and those with social communication difficulties related to Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

The SLT service for people with voice problems is based at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

No dedicated SLT service is provided currently to Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust.

The following clinics run weekly

• Videofluoroscopy swallow assessment clinics
• Stammering
• Outpatient clinics for people who have acquired swallowing difficulties or an acquired communication disorder as a result of a neurological or general medical condition

The Anaesthetic Department provides services at Southmead Hospital Bristol. 

• All theatre sessions
• Emergency surgery
• Post-operative care
• Clinical care of patients in the Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit
• Analgesia and anaesthesia for obstetrics
• Chronic pain management