About my Role

I work part time in a Community Learning Disability Team as the Lead Speech and Language Therapist (there is one other Speech and Language Therapist in the team and the other team members are from other health professions). I have a small caseload of adults with Learning Disabilities who need support with their communication or with their eating and drinking.

I mainly work with staff and families to improve communication with the patient, for example through the use of signing, pictures or a communication aid. This might help them to have more control and independence in their life. It could reduce their need to use destructive or self-injurious behaviours to try and communicate. 

I observe people eating and drinking and make recommendations for their mealtimes to help reduce the risk of choking or aspiration (food or drink going into the lungs). But I also spend quite a lot of time reviewing referrals, some for Speech and Language Therapy and some for the wider team, chairing meetings, providing placement education for students, and other leadership activities.

How did I become a Speech and Language Therapist?

I had previously been working as an editor but I knew that wasn’t my ‘forever’ job. I was interested in language, communication and people so Speech and Language Therapy seemed like a good fit.

I wanted to work for the NHS so I would be part of a team and have different clinical opportunities at the start of my career. I also understood that the NHS, as a public body, offered stability of employment and a pension, family friendly policies and opportunities for flexible working which was important to me as I hoped to combine a career with having a family.

I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2005 and immediately looked for jobs in the professional Bulletin of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy. I interviewed for three jobs and was offered two of them.

I joined a large team of Speech and Language Therapists in Surrey who worked across several different clinical areas. I was able to work in the fields of Learning Disability, special schools, speech and language clinics, Autism assessment, and neuro rehabilitation.