Community SLT

Think of a recent therapy session or event.

I’ve just completed my first month working in a community SLT service.

Describe the experience

I work between 3 teams (neuro, stroke and community) managing my own caseload and screening referrals for the stroke team. I average around three home visits a day, less sometimes on days with meetings and more on other days. At times I have found it hard to keep track of all of the admin I need to complete and sometimes forget to record all correspondence/ time spent doing admin. Gathering client history information and contacting GP's/ hospital therapists for information has been surprisingly difficult.

How did this make you feel?

I have enjoyed being out of my comfort zone. I feel that I am learning to become better at communicating with other teams e.g. charities, GP consortiums, Hospital therapists etc and with managing a complex caseload.

What has this taught you?

• To keep a weekly to do list with all of my patient’s on it.
• To upload any letters I send to GP’s/ write down on RIO when I try to contact other services e.g. by phone but do not get through.
• To make a careplan for new complex patients in which I record assessment results, goals and therapy activities/ desired outcomes.
• To timetable in time for admin (discharge reports etc.)