Services for children in North East Lincolnshire

Where we work

We provide Speech and Language Therapy in clinics within Diana Princess of Wales Hospital and at the Child Development Centre (CDC) and children’s centres. We may also provide home and school / preschool visits as required.

What we offer:

• A Core Community Service for children aged 3 and above.
• Specialist assessments
• Strategies and advice to parents, schools, preschools and other professionals supporting the child
• Group and one to one therapy to work towards individual goals.
• A child-centred care plan
• Partnership working with North East Lincolnshire Local Authority to provide some additional services:
  • Family Hub Home visiting service for children aged 2 years.
  • School Based intervention for children with speech and language difficulties who have an Education and Health Care Plan.

Family Hub Home Visiting Service

This team is part of the North East Lincolnshire Children’s Therapy Service and provides a specialist service to children aged 2 -3 years.

We work with children who have been referred following their speech and language measure, completed as part of the two year health check with the Health Visiting Team.

We provide an initial assessment and an individualised package of care with strategies and activity ideas to provide parents, carers and settings with ideas to support their child’s speech, language and communication needs. We can also signpost to other groups or services that may be able to support that child.

School Based Intervention

We have a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist who works within Mainstream schools with children who have speech and language needs and an Education and Health Care Plan in North East Lincolnshire. This therapist offers assessment and therapy within the child’s school setting and works closely with professionals in school to support the child. Parents are invited to attend sessions and contribute to targets specific to their child.

Referrals

Who can make a referral?

• Parents / Carers
• Schools
• Preschools
• Health Visitors
• GPs
• Other Professionals who may be involved with supporting the child

Children with feeding and/or swallowing problems must be referred by their doctor.

When to make a referral?

If your child is aged 2-3 years and you have concerns about their speech and language development please speak to your child’s Health Visitor or call into one of the Family Hubs for a Speech and Language Measure assessment. The Health Visitor can then complete a referral for your child depending on the results.

If your child is aged 3 or over, you can check our developmental norms for what is typical for a child of their age. Please follow the links below to get lots of advice about what you should expect of your child’s communication. There is also have information about supporting your child’s speech and language development:

For children aged 0-5 years
For children aged 5-11 years
For children aged 11-18 years

Sending your referral form:

Please post your referral form to:

Children’s Therapy Team
Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital
Scartho Road
Grimsby
DN33 2BA

You can also email your referral securely to our admin team: nlg-tr.GYchildrenstherapyteam@nhs.net

If you have any queries about your referral, please call us on 03033 303 758

What happens after referral?

Your first appointment in North East Lincolnshire may be offered virtually (over phone and video) or face to face at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby.

Appointments

Who will be at the initial appointment?

• The child
• At least one parent / carer
• A Speech and Language Therapist

Appointment booking:

Following a referral to Speech and Language Therapy you will be contacted to arrange a convenient appointment within 12 weeks, this will be by phone or by letter.

Cancelling your appointment:

Please notify us as early as possible so that we can give the appointment to another patient. If you do not inform us before the appointment, your child’s episode of care may be closed and a new referral will be needed. You can call us on: 03033 303758 to cancel an appointment.

What to expect at your initial appointment:

• You will be given the chance to discuss your concerns around your child’s speech and language development with the Speech and Language Therapist
• The Speech and Language Therapist will complete assessment of your child’s attention, social skills, understanding, use of language, speech sounds and stammering (where appropriate).
• The assessment may be gained through play based activities, or more formal test measures but will always be enjoyable.
• The therapist may suggest a referral to another department (for example, a hearing test), if this is necessary

What Next?

After an initial assessment, you and your child may attend for:

• One to one therapy
• Sound skills groups
• Demonstration of strategies that you can practice at home
• Further assessment or monitoring of your child’s speech and language skills

These may be with a Speech and Language Therapist or a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant.

Covid-19 changes:

We are continuing to offer initial appointments and therapy to children and families. Appointments may be offered over the phone, over video or face to face with a risk assessment in place.

Feedback and Complaints

We would love to hear what you think about our service, how you found the appointments and any suggestions for improvements. Help improve our service by completing the Friends and Family Test either scanning the QR code or using the link:

If you have any concerns / queries about any of the services offered by the Trust, in the first instance, please speak to the person providing your care or contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team.

Contact details

Children’s Therapy Team
Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital
Scartho Road
Grimsby
DN33 2BA
03033 303758

Email: nlg-tr.GYchildrenstherapyteam@nhs.net

You can also access the North East Lincolnshire Local Offer here: https://sendlocaloffer.nelincs.gov.uk/