Western Health Speech Pathology Department
Information for Professionals
Philosophy
The Western Health Speech Pathology Department is committed to the provision of a high quality, innovative and holistic service that endeavours to enhance the health and social well being of our culturally and linguistically diverse community.
Partnerships within a multidisciplinary team, other agencies, the community and clients and their families/carers are highly valued in the development, delivery and evaluation of services provided.
Quality improvement activities, professional development, and the commitment of ongoing learning for others and ourselves ensure that best practice models are utilised.
The staff is empowered through the promotion of open communication and consultation, along with a sense of independence and responsibility in their own work, as a member of the Allied Health team and the larger organisation.
Team Structure
The Western Health Speech Pathology Department is divided into 3 clinical streams;
- Paediatric Services
- Adult Acute and Subacute Services
- Rotations and New Graduate Positions
Each stream is led by a senior clinician with specialty skills in the area with further specialised service areas including Head and Neck and Clinical Education also offering a broad range of experiences for staff.
Paediatric Services
Paediatric Speech Pathology is a significant component of the multidisciplinary team within the Children's Allied Health Service at Sunshine Hospital.
This is primarily a community outpatient service located at the Private Consulting Rooms across from the Sunshine Hospital and is available to pre-school children with a range of communication and eating/drinking difficulties who live within the western region and who do not have access to more appropriate local services.
Inpatient services are provided to babies in the Special Care Nursery and children up to 16 years of age.
Children are seen following community or internal referral. Specific services include:
- Preschool Multi-disciplinary Assessment Clinics
- Neurodevelopmental Clinic and
- Individual or group therapy
Adult Acute and Subacute Services
Speech Pathology is viewed as an integral part of the service profile in the acute, inpatient and community rehabilitation services.
Clinicians provide timely and effective assessment and management of patients with swallowing and communication difficulties as well as providing appropriate support to carers/families and staff.
Adult Speech Pathology Services are broadly located as follows:
- Western Hospital - acute services including specialised Head and Neck service delivery.
- Williamstown Hospital - subacute aged care inpatients and ambulatory care services
- Sunshine Hospital - acute, aged care inpatients, inpatient rehabilitation, sub-acute ambulatory care services