Speech Pathology

The Speech Pathology Department at Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) provides services to all hospital inpatients and adult outpatients in the RGH catchment area who have communication and swallowing impairments.

This includes the assessment, diagnosis and management of adults who present with:

• dysphagia (difficulties swallowing) – dysphagia is associated with a range of conditions including stroke, acquired brain injury, head and neck cancer, COPD and progressive degenerativeneurological diseases (e.g. Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neuron Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease)
• neurogenic communication disorders following stroke, acquired brain injury or progressive degenerative neurological disorders
• voice disorders, however, patients require an ear, nose and throat (ENT) assessment before being accepted for therapy by the Speech Pathology Department.

Outpatient clinics

Day Therapy Service

Patients over the age of 65 and requiring coordinated multidisciplinary input may be eligible for the Day Therapy Service. The Day Therapy Service consists of a number of clinics, including:

• memory/cognition
• stroke/TIA
• Parkinson’s Disease
• falls.

Group Therapy

Groups are frequently conducted by the Speech Pathology Department for patients with acquired communication disorders (e.g. aphasia, dysarthria, acquired apraxia of speech). Groups are formed based on the needs of the inpatient and outpatient clinical caseload.

Videofluoroscopy Clinic

Patients presenting with dysphagia and requiring instrumental assessment will have access to videofluoroscopy where clinically indicated.

Videofluoroscopy uses barium combined with real foods and liquids to assess the oropharyngeal phase of swallowing. They are performed by Speech Pathologists and Radiographers to investigate motion and silent aspiration (not to comment on anatomy or pathology). All patients attending videofluoroscopy must first undergo general dysphagia assessment by a Speech Pathologist either from RGH or another agency.

General Speech Pathology Outpatient Clinic

Patients under the age of 65 and/or those requiring single discipline intervention can be referred to the general Speech Pathology outpatient clinic. We liaise closely with other hospitals, the Rehabilitation in the Home (RITH) service and other external agencies to coordinate services.

Eligibility criteria

RGH Speech Pathology provides services to people who meet the eligibility criteria of the required program including:

• adult (18+ years) with acquired swallowing or communication difficulties
• residing in Rockingham Kwinana catchment area (includes postcodes 6165, 6167, 6168, 6169, 6170, 6171, 6172, 6173, 6174, 6175, 6176).
• living in the community or in low level care (patients with EACH packages are considered on a case-by-case basis).
• patients who are not eligible for other services, for example DSC, DVA, EACH recipients, HLC residents.

We do not see:

• paediatric outpatients
• high level care nursing home residents
• people serviced by Disability Services Commission.

Contact  us

Phone 9599 4823.

Operating hours

8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

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