From Monday, 31st March, our Adult Acute Inpatient Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Team will be using the acute referral guidelines. That means that all referrals to the team will need to include a completed Swallow Assessment Protocol, referrals received without a completed protocol will be rejected.
What is the Swallow Assessment Protocol?
The easy-to-use Swallow Assessment Protocol guides qualified medical and nursing staff through the decision-making process involved when referring an acute inpatient to SLT. By completing the Swallow Screen Protocol and documenting it on EPR, we can ensure that all our acute referrals to the team are appropriate and ward colleagues are able to manage the nutrition and hydration needs of their patients effectively. Please note, stroke patients will continue to be assessed by the stroke nurses.
Who can refer to SALT?
Qualified medical staff and nurses.
What do colleagues need to do first if they think a patient needs a swallow assessment?
Complete the Swallow Assessment Protocol which consists of:
- An initial exclusion criteria checklist to help with initial decision making.
- A brief observation screen and oral check to be carried out.
- A swallow screen
- A pass/fail criteria guides further actions for the person completing the form.
What do colleagues do if the action from the swallow screen is ‘refer to SALT’?
Refer to SALT via EPR. Please refer to the 'Acute Inpatient SALT Team Referral Guideline - Swallowing' on the intranet for guidance on how to do this.
Where to find further guidance
The full Acute Speech and Language Therapy Guidelines can be found on the intranet in Policies and the Swallow Assessment Protocol can be found in the CHFT repository.
Further information
If you have any queries, please speak to the team as they visit wards, or contact Speech and Language Therapy on 01422 224246.