Thank You Event 2023: Kate Granger Patient Care Award - Highly Commended

Every year we celebrate our amazing staff and their achievements at our Thank You ceremony. Board members will surprise colleagues at their bases and present them with a hamper, balloons and a certificate for being shining examples of our magnificent staff behaviours.

Kate Granger Patient Care Award - Highly Commended

Early Communication Groups

The Early Communication Groups is an intervention for children who are waiting for a Complex Communication and Autism assessment ran by a team of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants (SLTAs) in three venues across Leeds.

(Speech and Language Therapists: Sarah Whitley, Sian Critchett, Fay Meakin, Anna Constantine, Megan Davidson and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants: Michelle Spendley and Sharon McDermott)

The clinicians ensure that the information the families receive about the group is accessible and understandable. The patients were involved in the development of the groups from the beginning, from the fortnightly frequency for convenience to enable more attendance, to the name of the group ensuring it was meaningful to them.
The team are always advocating for the families and acting on individual needs to accommodate the needs of families. The SLTs and SLTAs work to find a suitable alternative intervention with another part of the SLT service where possible. The sessions can be challenging due to the nature of the needs of the children, but the clinicians are skilful at putting the parents at ease and personalising the care. The continuous communications prior to the group, the written information with the activities provided after and the follow up phone calls demonstrate excellent patient care.

Clinical Lead Nicola Waddington nominated the team and said, “The team of SLTs and SLTAs work incredibly well together. They accommodate visitors from childcare settings, support students and although the group sessions can look a little hectic, due to the needs of the children, they do it with a smile on their face and tailor the care for each parent/carer.”

Chief Executive, Thea Stein surprised the team and celebrated them saying, "You are an amazing group of people. You demonstrate that compassion and love for patients and their families, always treating people with warmth, which makes you very worthy of the award."

Feedback from the parents:
“We were made to feel so welcome and at ease, the sessions were well planned out and catered perfectly for the needs of the children with their visual timetables of activities. My child loved attending and still asks if we can go back.”
“The ladies during the session were warm, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. This service is one that I wish had become available sooner. It has been the best option available to my son who is currently waiting for his final Autism assessment and is Non-Verbal. The sessions are fun, and my son loves them. I really feel that this is down to the ladies who run the session. The session are just the right length of time too, they have really worked hard to accommodate my child’s likes and needs.”