The Role of the Speech and Language Therapy Department
Welcome to the Speech and Language Therapy Department, Adult Learning Disability Service. We work with people who have communication and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties linked to learning disabilities
We work within the Community Learning Disability Team and are based at Kirklands Hospital in Bothwell.
Our service covers the whole of Lanarkshire.
People can be referred to our service through the Community Learning Disability Teams in North and South Lanarkshire.
The people we see are usually aged 16 or over. However we can also provide advice/support for people who are in the transition between Paediatric and Adult services.
We work with people who have communication and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties linked to learning disabilities.
Many of the people we work with have additional needs, including complex physical needs.
Following assessment, our input can include advice and recommendations which focus on enabling people with learning disabilities to:
- Understand other people more effectively
- Be understood more effectively by other people
- Eat and drink as safely as possible
Local Services
We have good links with the video-fluoroscopy clinics across the three acute hospitals in Lanarkshire, namely Monklands, Hairmyres and Wishaw General Hospital.
A video-fluoroscopy is a moving x-ray of the swallow. It can be used in the assessment of a person’s eating and drinking skills.
Support Organisations
The professional body for Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) within the United Kingdom is the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
RCSLT has developed professional standards for Speech and Language Therapists to provide information that will contribute to decision-making and the delivery of high quality services.