THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPISTS September 2014 | www.rcslt.org RCSLT cuts survey 2014: You tell us about the eff ects on your service users and families 001_cover.indd 1 18/08/2014 14:33 The perfect choice for instant food thickening [email protected] www.thickenaid.co.uk 01942 816 184 Supporting you through Dysphagia The instant food thickener specially designed for the dietary management of people with Dysphagia Blends quickly & efficiently : Whether dinner or a snack, Thicken Aid acts with speed Consistency : Thicken Aid thickens liquids hot or cold and pureed foods to any required consistency 25% cost saving : Compared to the leading prescribed brand, Thicken Aid saves the NHS money! Call 01942942 816 184 todaytoday forfoor a freefree samplesamp for testinging at yyourour nexnextt tteameam mmeeting,eeting, or for furtherurther infinformation.ormation. Available on Drug Tariff. Thicken Aid is available in 225g re-sealable tubs & 100 x 9g 28 Bulletin MayMMaay sachets20142014 | www.rcslt.orgww.rcslt.org BBUL.09.14.002.inddUL.09.14.002.indd SSec1:28ec1:28 18/08/2014 10:07 Contents ISSUE 749 4 Letters 5 News →It’s RCSLT conference time in Leeds →Queen’s award for Therapy Box →Get involved in 8 dementia research 11 Opinion: Lipreading: an evolving role opportunity for SLTs? 12 Steven Harulow: Cuts 2014: 5 10 the eff ects on your services 16 Antonia Kilcommons: A pioneering rehabilitation service for children with 22 brain tumours 20 The Research and Development Forum 22 Gaye Powell, Dominique Lowenthal: the RCSLT Outcome Measures Project 27 Obituaries 28 In the Journals 20 32 Clinical Excellence Networks 33 Your speech and language therapy job adverts 38 My Working Life: Dr Amanda Smith CONTACTS ROYAL COLLEGE OF SPEECH AND EDITORIAL BOARD EDITORIAL Tel: 020 7324 2735 LANGUAGE THERAPISTS President: Sir George Cox Senior life vice Editor: Steven Harulow Email: beth.fi fi [email protected] 2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX president: Sir Sigmund Sternberg Vice Deputy editor: Raquel Baetz PUBLISHER Tel: 020 7378 1200 presidents: Simon Hughes MP, Baroness Contributing editors: Digna Bankovska, Jason Grant Email: [email protected] Jay, John Bercow MP Chair: Bryony Sarah Matthews PRODUCTION Website: www.rcslt.org Simpson Deputy chair: Maria Luscombe Art editor: Carrie Bremner Kieran Tobin ISSN: 1466-173X Honorary treasurer: Lorna Bailey Art director: Mark Parry PRINTING Professional director: Kamini Gadhok MBE Senior picture editor: Claire Echavarry Woodford Litho ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER Sales manager: Ben Nelmes ©2014 Bulletin is the monthly magazine of the Royal Tel: 020 7880 6244 College of Speech and Language Therapists. The Email: [email protected] views expressed in the bulletin are not necessarily PUBLISHERS Recruitment Sales: Giorgio Romano the views of the College. Publication does not imply Redactive Publishing Ltd Tel: 0207 880 7556 endorsement. Publication of advertisements in the COVER ILLUSTRATION 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP Email: [email protected] bulletin is not an endorsement of the advertiser or Studio Muti - Folio Art 020 7880 6200www.redactive.co.uk Display Sales: Beth Fifi eld of the products and services. September 2014 | www.rcslt.org Bulletin 3 0003_contents.indd03_contents.indd 3 18/08/2014 14:34 Bulletin thrives on your letters and emails. Write to the editor, MY RCSLT, 2 White Hart Yard, London Steven WORKING SE1 1NX email: [email protected] Please include your postal address and LETTERSLIFE telephone number. Letters may be edited Harulow for publication (250 words maximum) EDITORIAL Manchester Language Study thanks Doing more Twenty years ago, I applied to the Nuffi eld Foundation to study children with specifi c language impairment attending language units across England. Th is longitudinal project, known as the with less Manchester Language Study, was successfully funded and offi cially began in 1995. For 20 years we have been able to count on the help, support and dedication of SLTs, language unit teachers, school inancial and workforce challenges are now an teachers, assistants and many professionals across the country, established way of life to many working across and especially the families and the children (now young adults) the public sector. In the areas of healthcare and themselves. We want to thank you all and invite you to celebrate Feducation, particularly, there is also an expectation with us at a special reception in November 2014. If you have been that services will deliver more with fewer resources, as the involved in any way with the study or know someone who has, or demand for those services increases. are a friend of the study, please get in touch so we can send you the Th is month’s cover feature (pages 12-15) looks at the results celebration details. Contact my assistant, Jackie O’Brien, at: jackie. of our latest cuts survey. Although the number of responses is [email protected] down on previous years, the results still show clearly the eff ects Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden, University of Manchester of cuts on service users and their families. Th e article also guides service leaders through some of the steps they can take when facing proposed changes. On the right ‘Trach’ report debate Demonstrating the eff ectiveness of what you do as SLTs is Th e June publication of NCEPOD report into Tracheostomy care an essential part of your roles as modern practitioners. On ‘On the right Trach’ is the culmination of a two-year study to pages 22-24, Dominique Lowenthal and Gaye Powell report on identify diffi culties in the care pathway for adult patients with a the progress of the RCSLT’s Outcomes Measures Project. Th is tracheostomy. Th e study collected data on 2,546 tracheostomy important venture aims to establish a framework and core set of cases in 219 hospitals across the UK (excluding Scotland) using outcomes and outcome measures for conditions and/or settings. prospective questionnaire surveys, and randomly sampled 426 I am also pleased to announce the inclusion of the RCSLT patients for detailed review. Impact Report for 2013-2014 in this issue. Th is review of the One SLT, representing the RCSLT, sat on the multidisciplinary past fi nancial year gives a real fl avour of the activities and expert group tasked with designing the study and reviewing the achievements of your professional body – defi nitely worth a fi ndings. Five SLTs were part of the adviser group undertaking read. individual case reviews.Th e report makes 25 recommendations based on fi ndings on the organisation of care, tracheostomy Steven Harulow insertion, tube care, multidisciplinary care, complications and Bulletin editor outcomes. Th ose of particular signifi cance for SLTs include: [email protected] ■ SLTs are key multidisciplinary team members and should always participate in the routine care pathway for all tracheostomy patients. Hospitals need to provide adequate staff to ensure this happens routinely and in a timely manner. My RCSLT ■ Involvement of SLTs in critical care needs to be facilitated, particularly for more complex patients, and to assist with high- Judith Payne quality communication strategies, and day-to-day ward care. ■ Dysphagia is common in tracheostomy patients and warrants I am in my second year of work as further study in terms of risk factors, identifi cation and natural a paediatric SLT for Virgin Care history. Th ere needs to be improved recognition of the incidence in South West Surrey. I work in a of dysphagia in tracheostomy patients at all points in the care pre-school language centre and in mainstream schools with children pathway – with early referral to SLTs with specifi c competences. who have a statement of special Adviser opinion found 40% of cases reviewed in critical care units educational needs. The RCSLT and 39% of ward cases received a good quality of care generally. helps me to maintain links with Download the full report from: www.ncepod.org.uk other SLTs throughout the UK and Th e next Tracheostomy CEN meeting (8 October) will focus on the constantly keeps me up-to-date report and debate ways for SLTs to facilitate implementation of the with the most recent developments recommendations. For further information email: sarah.wallace@ within our ever-changing fi eld. The uhsm.nhs.uk or contact the CEN. RCSLT was a great source of support throughout my transition Sarah Wallace, By email from student to fully-competent therapist – providing talks at university, student study days and guidance for completing the newly-qualifi ed practitioner competencies. FOLLOW THE RCSLT ON AND VISIT: WWW.RCSLT.ORG AND FOLLOW THE LINKS 4 Bulletin September 2014 | www.rcslt.org 004_Editorial.indd 4 18/08/2014 14:35 QUICK LOOK DATES » 17;09 23;09 06;10 RCSLT Closing date for 2015 Webinar: ‘Mind the conference begins Winston Churchill gap and build a bridge News in Leeds Fellowship application across it’ It’s RCSLT conference Your July-August time in Leeds IJLCD Many of you will be wondering what has happened to your July-August special issue Places are going fast for the speech and language of the International Journal of language and therapy event of the year Communication Disorders (IJLCD), entitled ‘Th e SLI debate: Diagnostic criteria and terminology’ (see August’s Bulletin, ‘Join the Th ere is still time to book your place at the IJLCD debate on SLI’, page 6) RCSLT 2014 Conference in Leeds on 17-18 Th is exciting issue includes lead articles from September. Professor Dorothy Bishop (‘Ten questions about ‘Mind the Gap: Putting research into terminology for children with unexplained practice’ focuses on the challenges and language problems’) and Professor Sheena opportunities facing the profession and Reilly and colleagues (‘Specifi c language provides a platform for the dissemination impairment: a convenient label for whom?’).