Bendigo Health Speech Pathology Referrals

Bendigo Health Speech Pathology referrals

Community Health Outpatients - 2015

Eligibility:

 Children 0 – pre-school age with difficulties or parental concern regarding:

o feeding/swallowing

o language = use of (expressive)/understanding of (receptive) e.g.:

. limited use of or number of words for age

 please give approximation of number of words in vocabulary

. not joining words together or shorter utterances for age

 please state how many words are being combined in an utterance/sentence

. only using gesture/pointing to communicate needs

. poor sentence structure or grammar for age

. difficulty following instructions or understanding concepts

o speech = articulation or pronunciation of sounds/clarity of speech e.g.:

. speech difficult to understand

. deletion of sounds from start/end/middle of words

. sound errors/substitutions

. please give examples where possible

o stuttering

o voice issues

o saliva management

 Children who only need Speech Pathology services

o No early intervention, autism assessment or other paediatric allied health services (e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy) are available through community health outpatients at Bendigo Health  Adults with difficulties regarding:

o stuttering

o voice

How to refer:

 Written referral from health professional to include:

o current client contact details

o diagnosis &/or past history where relevant

o specific details & examples of areas of concern or difficulty *

o parental/carer consent

o year child due to start school where appropriate

o copy of TMB form where appropriate/able

o involvement with DHS &/or Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander background where appropriate

* To allow for timely processing & prioritising of referrals, please refer to information & examples provided in eligibility section on previous page, particularly regarding speech & language difficulties

 Send to: Bendigo Health Referral Centre Fax: 1300 733 589 or 03 5454 7099 Address: PO Box 126, Bendigo 3552 Email: [email protected] Telephone:1300 733 581

Please do not address to or send directly to the Speech Pathology Department

 Please contact Nicole Aitken, Speech Pathology triage coordinator for Community Outpatients, if you have any queries regarding referrals &/or eligibility on: o Phone : 5454 8783 (option 5) o Email : [email protected]

School age referrals

 In 2015, referrals for children commencing school in 2016 will close on 31st July 2015  If you wish to refer children to Speech Pathology after this date, we would suggest you discuss private Speech Pathology services with your client, including whether a Chronic Disease Management Plan would be appropriate to assist with the costs of private services.  Please refer to the Yellow Pages or the Speech Pathology Australia website (www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au) for local private Speech Pathology contacts.  Otherwise, please encourage parents/carers to discuss their child’s needs with their school on enrolment so they can access appropriate services as early as possible in the 2016 school year. Services outside Bendigo Health Speech Pathology:  For any children who may require early intervention, please discuss your referral with the ECIS intake team on 1300 363 514.

 For any children who may require autism assessment, please discuss your referral with: o CAMHS Ph: 1300 363 788 o BEARS Clinic Ph: 5430 0500.