A person with communication difficulties can refer themselves directly to speech and language therapy. Alternatively, you can ask your GP or other health professional to refer you. They will be asked if they have your consent to do this when a referral is received by the service.
If you notice that you have new swallowing problems, you should speak to your GP, or consultant or specialist nurse if you have regular contact with one. They can then refer you to speech and language therapy if further assessment of your swallow is needed, or they may suggest different referrals that might help, depending on the nature of your difficulties
If a patient lives in a nursing home, trained professionals may be able to refer the person via the Swallow Care Intervention Pathway (SCIP).
If you have seen a speech and language therapist before because of your swallowing difficulties, you can contact the service for advice directly, as a new referral is not always necessary.
If you have a problem with your voice (for example, hoarseness, loss of voice), you should be seen by the ear, nose and throat (ENT) department first, to check your voice box (larynx). The ENT team will then refer on to speech and language therapy if our treatment would help.
People with voice problems are often seen in ‘joint voice clinics’ across the region, where an ENT specialist works alongside a speech and language therapist to assess and offer the right advice for each person.
Gender identity clients
Gender identity clients who are seeking voice modification therapy are referred to speech and language therapy via a number of routes. They are typically referred either:
Referrals may also be accepted from their GP, or any other health professional, such as their endocrinologist.
Adults with a learning disability
Speech and language therapists work within each community learning disability team across North Wales. People may be referred typically via GP or other health professionals within the learning disability team, such as nurses, occupational therapists, or physiotherapists.
North Wales Brain Injury Service
Specialist speech and language therapy is provided as part of this team, based in Colwyn Bay. People with a brain injury may be referred to this service via their GP or hospital consultants.
This team can be contacted separately:
North Wales Brain Injury Service
Hesketh Road
Colwyn Bay
LL29 8AY
03000 855 506