Related Experiment Videos
Three into one will go! Collaborative practice in practice
M Le May1, I Dodsley, H Anderson
1First Community Health NHS Trust, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Cannock, Staffordshire.
Summary
Three speech and language therapy services collaborated to address common issues affecting school-aged children with speech and language difficulties. This initiative overcame challenges posed by a competitive healthcare environment.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Pediatric Speech Pathology
- Inter-agency Collaboration
Background:
- The late 1980s and early 1990s presented a competitive healthcare environment.
- Collaboration between health and education services was challenging.
- Three National Health Service (NHS) trusts and a shared education authority faced service delivery issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the collaborative process undertaken by three speech and language therapy services.
- To identify common service issues for school-aged children with speech and language difficulties.
- To outline strategies for addressing these identified issues.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive account of inter-agency collaboration.
- Qualitative identification of shared service challenges.
- Development of joint strategies for service improvement.
Main Results:
- Successful collaboration was established between the three NHS trusts and the education authority.
- Common service issues impacting school-aged children were identified.
- Strategies were developed and implemented to address these issues.
Conclusions:
- Inter-agency collaboration is feasible and beneficial for addressing complex service needs.
- Joint working can overcome environmental challenges in healthcare and education.
- Collaborative efforts can lead to improved services for children with speech and language difficulties.