Speech Pathology Department
Staff
Description of Service
Vision Statement
"Making a Difference to Communication and Swallowing"
Who are we?
The Speech Pathology Department, within Alfred Health, services The Alfred, Caulfield Hospital and Sandringham Hospital.
The Department also has professional links with the community services offered by the organisation. As a result, continuum of care between acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and community services is maximised.
What do we do?
At Sandringham Hospital, the Speech Pathology service is available to patients across all units of the hospital.
The Speech Pathology Department services adult inpatients with a range of difficulties including disorders of swallowing, communication, voice and cognition.
A variety of neurological and structural impairments result in the need for speech pathology input.
These impairments may include stroke, head injury, cerebral anoxia, brain tumour, encephalitis and other forms of damage to the brain.
Progressive neurological disorders (such as Dementia and Parkinson's Disease) and head and neck cancer can also result in swallowing and/or communication disorders.
The Speech Pathology Department consists of 2 part-time clinicians who are responsible for providing a range of services including:
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Speech and language assessments
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Assessment and management of swallowing disorders, including videofluoroscopy procedures (x-ray of swallowing)
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Cognitive/communication assessment and therapy
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Provision of alternative communication devices and strategies
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Education and counselling to family and carers
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Referral to other external agencies as appropriate.
Who do we care for?
The clinical units serviced within Sandringham Hospital include:
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General Medicine
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General Surgery
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Orthopaedics
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Sub acute
In addition to the units based at Sandringham Hospital, our Department has established links with rehabilitation and community care.
The department also provides an outpatient videofluoroscopy service to patients from Bentleigh Bayside Community Health (Doctor Referral required).
PLEASE NOTE- FOR PAEDIATRIC CLIENTS WITHIN THE ALFRED HEALTH CATCHMENT AREA ANY ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO CAULFIELD COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICE, BENTLEIGH BAYSIDE COMMUNITY HEALTH OR THE DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION
