In this section...

  1. Acute Physiotherapy
  2. Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network (CMRN)
  3. Chiari malformation and syringomyella
  4. Cognitive neurology
  5. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
  6. Dietetic Services
  7. Electroencephalogram (EEG)
  8. Endoscopic (keyhole) spinal surgery
  9. Epilepsy
  10. Epilepsy specialist nurse service
  11. Epilepsy surgery
  12. Essential tremor - Ultrasound thalamotomy
  13. Evoked potentials (EP)
  14. Facial pain
  15. Fluroscopy
  16. Functional Neurological Disorders Service (FNDS)
  17. Headache service
  18. Hydrocephalus, CSF disorders and spina bifida
  19. Infection prevention and control
  20. Integrated Neurology Nurse Service
  21. Interventional Radiology
  22. Major Trauma service
  23. Motor neurone disease
  24. Multiple sclerosis
  25. Multiple sclerosis (MS) nurse service
  26. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and Electromyography (EMG)
  27. Neuroanaesthesia and Critical Care
  28. Neurogenetic disorders
  29. Neurological long-term conditions OT service
  30. Neurological Long Term Conditions Physiotherapy Team (LTC)
  31. Neurology
  32. Neuromodulation for Pain and Pelvic Floor Instability
  33. Neuromuscular disorders
  34. Neuromyelitis optica
  35. Neuro-Oncology Department
  36. Neuropathic pain (nerve pain)
  37. Neurophysiology Department
  38. Neuropsychiatry
  39. Neuropsychology Department
  40. Neuropsychology inpatient service
  41. Neuroradiology
  42. Neuroscience Laboratories
  43. Neurosurgery
  44. Neurovascular surgery and intervention
  45. Pain Management Programme
  46. Pain medicine
  47. Palliative care pain
  48. Parkinson's disease Nurse Specialists
  49. Pre-operative Assessment Team
  50. Physiotherapy botulinum toxin service
  51. Rehabilitation
  52. Research
  53. Respiratory Physiotherapy Team
  54. Speech and Language Therapy
  55. Spinal surgery
  56. Surgical management of chronic pain
  57. Surgical, Medical, Acute Response Team (SMART)
  58. Theatres
  59. Therapies Department
  60. Tissue viability
  61. Trauma Therapy Team

Speech and Language Therapy

 

Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) work across the acute and rehab inpatient settings in the management of patients with both communication and swallowing disorders.

Communication impairments that SLTs help to diagnose include difficulties in expressing or understanding spoken or written language, difficulties in producing speech due to weakness in the speech muscles, voice difficulties, and social communication difficulties. Once identified, SLTs may work 1:1 with a patient targeting their areas of difficult.

They also work extensively with a patient’s family members in order to support them to communicate effectively with their loved one. SLTs also help to identify alternative or augmentative means of communication (AAC) that may be necessary in order to help a patient express their wants and needs (this might include paper-based or hi-tech devices).

In the rehab setting, SLTs often organise group-based therapy sessions where patients can practise their communication skills in an informal and engaging social setting.

Across settings, SLTs work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, often completing joint sessions to encourage integrated and seamless care, ensuring that the patient’s holistic needs are taken into account.

SLTs are also responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders (dysphagia). Across settings, this often involves bedside assessment of a patient’s swallowing abilities with close working with the medical and dietetics team to ensure safety of oral intake. SLTs may undertake further instrumental assessment of swallowing if required. Intervention for swallowing impairments might include exercises targeting the strength and skill of the swallow muscles or diet and fluid modification. 

On the critical care and hyper-acute rehabilitation wards, SLTs are also involved in the management of tracheostomies, working closely with the medical team and respiratory physiotherapists to monitor the secretion management and swallowing abilities of patients, and supporting assessment of suitability for weaning.

SLTs are also present in some of the outpatient clinics and will see patients with newly diagnosed motor neurone disease or with neuromuscular disease as part of the multidisciplinary services. Further information about these clinics may be found on The Walton Centre website.

 

Contact information

  • Acute team: 0151 556 3866
  • Rehab team: 0151 556 3207
     

 

Leaflets

Aphasia

Dysarthria

Dysphagia

Dysphagia in myasthenia gravis

EMG Guided Therapy for Swallowing

Level 1 thickened fluids (slightly thick)

Level 2 thickened fluids (mildly thick)

Level 3 thickened fluids (moderately thick)

Level 4 thickened fluids (extremely thick)

Neurological Long Term Conditions - Neuromuscular Team

What is Cognitive Communication Disorder?

What is dysarthria?

What is Dysphasia?

What is dyspraxia?