Almost 20% of the UK population may experience communication difficulties at some point in their lives. In adults, stroke is the most common cause of speech difficulties, with a third of stroke survivors experiencing communication problems as a result. 700,000 individuals with dementia also have speech, language and communication needs, a figure which rises annually due to the ageing population.

In addition, speech, language and communication difficulties are the most common of all disabilities experienced by children.

SLT is thought to be greatly beneficial to patients, helping to remove the social and mental barriers associated with communication disorders and enabling people to develop or regain vital swallowing skills. Early intervention by speech and language therapists has been shown to enable people towards becoming economically active again, lessening the financial hardship for sufferers and their families.

In economic terms, it is believed that SLT services save money for already over-stretched NHS services and calls on other government budgets in terms of benefits claimed.

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)  launched their “Giving Voice” campaign to champion the wide-reaching economic and social benefits of SLT. NHS Wales have now launched their Banerwr project (Welsh for standard-bearer) as part of that campaign, with a banner being created by therapists, students, children and adult service users with messages from across the seven geographical areas of Wales.

The banner includes the personal stories of many individuals and demonstrates problems are widespread. It has travelled the length and breadth of Wales by helicopter and motorcycle before being delivered by boat to AMs in Cardiff Bay by speech therapy students.

The RCSLT is calling on governments and key decision-makers to prioritise SLT services as a cost-saving intervention, not a cost driving service. Dr Alison Stroud, the Wales policy officer at the RCSLT, says the intention is to ensure that mainstream services support the early identification of communication difficulties and allow for timely access to specialist services.

Dr Stroud says she wants public bodies to deliver the planning and sharing of resources across traditional boundaries such as health, social care, education and probation. She states that she believes clinical experts should also be involved in decisions about budget management and cost saving.

“Helping people to find their voice and, in so doing, realise their potential must surely be an investment in society worth making” Stroud said.

In order that SLT services can accurately justify their contribution to the patient journey and their overall outcome, Trusts must seek to implement a system that can capture and report on all contacts and interventions. Therapy Manager is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system which captures all activity associated with patient contacts and produces a robust set of reports as a result. The Cost of Care report can highlight exactly how much is being spent in Therapies, which services are essential and which can stand to be cut, ensuring that the high demand and successful treatments are not targeted.

Original Source Wales Online

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.