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Our adult inpatient team

At Derriford Hospital, the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team provides assessment of swallowing or communication difficulties for people with medical, neurological and surgical conditions.

SALT give advice about problems patients have with feeding and communication difficulties. They work closely with the ward nurses and other therapists in the hospital to ensure that this advice is used to improve the health and understanding of the individual while they are in hospital and that it is incorporated into the plans for discharge back to home.

SALTs at Derriford may work with the following groups of patients

• neurosurgery
• intensive care unit
• respiratory medicine
• tracheostomy management 
• management of patients on the acute stroke unit
• care of the elderly
• communication and swallowing problems arising after cancer treatment 
• management of in-patients with Head and Neck Cancer or other cancers

For information about the following client groups please see links on the SLT department home page

• voice disorders 
• rehabilitation after head and neck cancer treatment and surgery, including surgical voice restoration after a total laryngectomy 
• stroke