Speech and Language Therapy

The Adult Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) department provides a service for people aged 18 years and above with acquired communication, voice and/or swallowing difficulties.

We work with inpatients and outpatients at:

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
Andover War Memorial Hospital

When people are unable to travel for appointments, we see them in nursing or residential homes or their own homes.

Our aims

We aim to

Provide quality services that anticipate and respond to the needs of adults who experience acquired speech, language, communication or swallowing difficulties
Work in partnership with individuals, their families and with other professionals or agencies
Optimise people's wellbeing and their ability to participate in daily life

Who we work with

We work with individuals, their family, carers and key workers.

Services provided

Initial sessions consist of assessment, advice and recommendations. Further treatment will be based on the results of assessment and patient specific. Treatment may include individual or group therapy and a home exercise programme. Advice, education and training to support family and carers will be offered as required.

We also offer the following specialist services:

Videofluoroscopy - a dynamic xray of the swallow
SLT led endoscopy clinics for examination of the larynx
Joint clinics with Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultants

We do not provide services for the following:

Transgender	Therapy input should be offered by their Gender Identity Clinic https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment
Hearing Impairment	We do not offer a service for those with communication difficulties linked to hearing impairments. Please consider referral to an independent Speech and Language Therapist specialising in hearing impairment via ASLTIP (Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice)
Laryngectomy	Care will be continued by a Speech and Language Therapist working as part of the multi-disciplinary Cancer Care team (based either at the Royal South Hants Hospital (Southampton) 02380 825794 or the Royal Surrey County Hospital (Guildford) 01483 571122 ext 6421 )
Learning Disability	Please refer to hp-tr.SALT@nhs.net
Established AAC users who do not have a degenerative condition	Please liaise with the ACE Centre (Specialist services in Augmentative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT). They will accept referrals from Healthcare Professionals (other than SLTs) involved with an individual’s on-going healthcare. Enquiries@acecentre.org.uk or 0800 080 3115
Articulatory difficulties arising from a developmental disorder (including lisp)	Patients may wish to consult an independent Speech and Language Therapist via ASLTIP (Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice) www.helpwithtalking.com

For children’s speech and language therapy services please contact 0300 300 2019 to speak to the teams

How to refer to our service

We accept referrals for adults registered with a GP Practice within the HHFT catchment area. Click here for a list.

Referrals are accepted from GPs, consultants and other health professionals and we accept self-referrals from people who have been previously known to our service.

Referrals should be made via our referral form and sent to the appropriate nhs.net email account. Referrals by letter and telephone will also be accepted.

All patients referred for voice therapy must have first been seen in an ENT clinic for examination.

What our service users say about us

The patience, support, direction and encouragement I have received from the Speech and Language Department have been invaluable to my on-going recovery. I believe the expertise and guidance of these people has made a profound impact in helping me improve my communication skills which have been weakened as a result of a stroke.
Stroke client
Having lived with a chronic cough for 18 years I felt there was no chance of any improvement. Speech Therapy has given me hope and made me feel that I can regain control. It makes a great difference knowing that somebody wants to help you and has the knowledge, skills and understanding to make a difference.
Voice client
Speech and Language Therapy enables me to stop sinking into the background as I was before and allows me to join in without embarrassment. Speech And Language Therapy has helped me to re-integrate back into society.
Stroke client
EXPLAINED the reasons for my problem. Gave me METHODS to help overcome the problem. Gave me HOPE that things can improve. Gave me SUPPORT and ENCOURAGEMENT. Provided HELP that wasn’t provided anywhere else.
Client with a brain tumour
Make me feel alive again. To communicate is the most important and wonderful thing in our lives. If you have a broken voice! If you cannot talk! Who will mend you?
Voice client