Speech and language therapy

Contacting Speech and Language Therapy Departments

We welcome comments on our service and are happy for these to be given via your local Speech and Language Therapy Department or to the Professional Head of Service for Speech and Language Therapy.

We have some twenty teams of therapists based within the NHS Highland area. We operate an open referral system whereby individuals can contact our departments directly for general advice or to discuss a referral for service.

Who are speech and language therapists?

Speech and language therapists provide services throughout Highland for people of all ages. 

Speech and language therapists work with babies (neonates), children, teenagers, adults, families and carers:

• babies with feeding and swallowing difficulties
• children with:
  • learning difficulties
  • physical disabilities
  • language delay
  • specific language impairment
  • specific difficulties in producing sounds
  • speech delay
  • hearing impairment
  • cleft palate
  • stammering
  • autism/social interaction difficulties
  • voice disorders
• adults with
  • eating and swallowing and/or communication problems following stroke
  • neurological impairments and degenerative conditions including head injury, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease and dementia
  • cancer of the head, neck and throat (including laryngectomy)
  • voice problems
  • mental health issues
  • learning difficulties
  • physical disabilities
  • stammering (dysfluency)
  • hearing impairment

Speech and language therapists employed by NHS Highland work in accordance with the professional guidelines of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

All speech and language therapists are graduate Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) who must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which is the regulatory body for all allied health professions.  Visit the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) website for more information about the HCPC and to check the registration of any of our speech and language therapists.

What do speech and language therapists do?

Speech and language therapists are the lead experts in diagnosing and assessing communication, eating and drinking difficulties. Therapists work in partnership with the individual, family, other professionals and other agencies to reduce the impact of the communication and/or eating and drinking difficulty on the person’s wellbeing and ability to participate in everyday life.

Depending on the individual needs of the child or adult, speech and language therapy intervention may take different forms. The form of intervention will vary according to the changing needs of the individual and their surroundings. Speech and language therapy may include:

• training and advice for parents, carers, communication partners and other service providers (health, social work, voluntary agencies and education)
• provision of programmes of work and ways of supporting the individual in different environments and by different people
• individual or group therapy
• assessment and provision of communication aids and resources

Who are speech and language therapy assistants?

Speech and language therapy assistants are integral members of our teams in Highland. They are employed to act in a supporting role under the supervision of a professionally qualified speech and language therapist.

Where do therapists work in Highland?

Our therapists work in a variety of different places such as hospital, nurseries, schools, community clinics, patient’s homes and other locations in the community.

Key principles of the service:

• the rights, wishes and dignities of each individual and their carers are respected at all times
• effective intervention is based on a holistic understanding of the individual, including their social, cultural, economic, political and linguistic context
• the safety of the individual is paramount
• speech and language therapy intervention aims to be efficient and effective, that is to achieve the best possible results within given resources