People living with Parkinson’s in Gateshead continue to receive speech and language therapy support when they need it.
Gateshead Health has reviewed its adult speech and language therapy service, including how support is provided for people with Parkinson’s and other patients who need help with swallowing or communication.
The service continues to be delivered by Gateshead Health’s adult speech and language therapy team. All of our clinicians have experience of supporting people with Parkinson’s and have completed the recognised competency framework for the skills, knowledge and experience needed to support patients with these long-term conditions. We also have an identified lead for progressive neurological conditions, who provides expertise and support to the wider speech and language therapy team where needed.
Patients are assessed and treated according to their needs. Urgent cases are prioritised, while routine referrals continue to be managed through established clinical services.
The review has helped shape changes to how support is provided in hospital and in the community. The service has already changed how referrals are triaged and how roles are organised within the team, which has helped increase capacity and reduce waiting times. The most urgent community referrals are now being seen within 10 days, and further changes are being implemented as new staff join the team and recruitment is completed.
As part of this work, the speech and language therapy service is developing its role in supporting swallow screening across community services in Gateshead. This will help patients with swallowing difficulties to be identified earlier and referred for assessment when needed.
Anyone who is already under the care of a Gateshead Health service and has concerns about swallowing, speech or communication should speak to their clinical team.
If symptoms change suddenly or there are urgent concerns about swallowing safety, patients and families should seek clinical advice as soon as possible.