Speech and language therapy
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Speech and language therapists (SLTs) assess and treat speech, language, communication and swallowing difficulties in patients who come to our hospitals for planned procedures or emergency treatment.
The service covers a range of ages from newborn babies through to elderly care. Our SLT services for adults are available at Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals; the children's speech and language service is only offered at St Mary’s Hospital. We do not accept referrals from GPs.
The inpatient SLT team provides a comprehensive service to infants, children and adults who have problems with feeding, swallowing and communication. Our package of care includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment, advice, information and education.
We also provide a service to neonates at both St Mary’s and Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea hospitals. Using specialised skills, our therapists work as part of the multidisciplinary team directly with patients, infants and children, and with their parents and carers.
Conditions and treatments
Our services include:
- specialist assessment
- diagnosis and advice
- direct treatment for disorders of voice communication and swallowing exercise programmes for swallowing or voice provision of equipment to augment communication problems diagnostic and therapeutic objective assessment
SLTs in our children’s and neonatal services assess and treat:
- difficulty with feeding from breast or bottle leading to faltering weight
- weaning onto textured or solid foods
- food aversion or refusal
- biting or chewing difficulties
- swallowing difficulties associated with medical or surgical conditions/trauma
We also work with patients with:
- all head and neck cancers pre-, during and post-treatment
- benign ENT conditions affecting voice, communication, eating and drinking and swallowing
- adult acute service: communication and swallowing disorders arising from acute and chronic conditions e.g. stroke, neurological disease, dementia, surgery, tracheostomy
The service is also able to offer objective swallowing assessment/diagnosis using both x-ray (video fluoroscopy) and endoscopic swallowing assessments (known as fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing or FEES). These are available for inpatients and outpatients as clinically indicated.
Clinics
Our clinics offer outpatient appointments for assessment and treatment of speech, language, communication and swallowing difficulties in patients who come to our hospitals for planned procedures or emergency treatment.
Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) clinic
SLT specialist staff in ENT and head and neck cancer
Address
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF
Hours
Clinic hours vary – please check appointment letters for details.
Contact information
Phone: 020 331 10333 extension: 11492
Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) clinic
SLT specialist staff in ENT
Address
St Mary’s Hospital
Praed Street
London W2 1NY
Hours
Clinic hours vary – please check appointment letters for details.
Contact information
Phone: 020 331 10333 extension: 26189
Laryngectomy walk-in service
SLT specialist staff in ENT and head and neck cancer
Address
Charing Cross Hospital
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF
Hours
Open 09.00 to 17.30, Monday through Friday.
Contact information
Phone: 020 331 10333 extension: 11492
Additional information
Patients, family or carers should call the service before attending, as we may be able to provide a solution over the phone. Our walk-in service can address issues such as accidental loss of a voice prosthesis, a leaking voice prosthesis or an unexplained change in voice. Outside of these hours, laryngectomees with emergency problems should access A&E.
Meet the team
Therapy executive lead for speech and language therapy, therapy lead for integrated care
Eileen Walshe
Patient information
Before your appointment
Remember that your appointment could take up to five days to book. Try to wear clothes you feel comfortable in for your appointment. You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer with you to your appointment. You are also welcome to ask for a chaperone and we will endeavour to provide one for you.
During your appointment
The length of your appointment will depend on the nature and severity of your problem at walk-in. You can expect an assessment to take place and a treatment plan for the presenting difficulty with a full explanation and follow-up plan. You may be required to participate in a swallowing assessment.
After your appointment
You will receive written information as required. You may be invited to attend another appointment.
Patient information leaflets
- Changes to your breathing after laryngectomy surgery
- Consent to register with a third party supplier for stoma products
- Easy chew food
- Easy chew food for people with kidney conditions
- Looking after your neck stoma after laryngectomy surgery
- Looking after your voice during radiotherapy
- Pureed food
- Pureed food for people with kidney conditions
- Soft and bite-sized food
- Soft and bite-sized food for people with kidney conditions
Refer to this service
All referrals for speech and language therapy (SLT) are made internally by the Trust’s multidisciplinary teams – direct referrals from GPs are not accepted. Adult referrals for swallowing difficulties must be endorsed by the consultant team.
Education and elective placements
We accept SLT students from higher education institutions in London. Email imperial.Electives@nhs.net for more information.
We offer basic and advanced training courses on management of surgical voice restoration following a laryngectomy to SLTs and other health professionals nationally and internationally.
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