Innovative speech pathology service provision: Pilot of a 7-day week service at a tertiary paediatric hospital
Tracks
5
Acute care – paediatric
Dysphagia
Early intervention
Feeding
Infant feeding
Innovative practice
Multidisciplinary practice
Neonatal care
Paediatric/Infant
Parent/carer training
Professional practice
Quality improvement
Service delivery
Swallowing
Wellbeing
Workforce
| Friday, June 13, 2025 |
| 10:55 AM - 11:05 AM |
Overview
Gloria Tzannes
Details
⏫ In-practice
⏲️ 10.55am - 11.15am
⌛ 20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
⏲️ 10.55am - 11.15am
⌛ 20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
Presenter
Ms Gloria Tzannes
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - The Children's Hospital At Westmead
Innovative speech pathology service provision: Pilot of a 7-day week service at a tertiary paediatric hospital
10:55 AM - 11:15 AMPresentation summary
Weekend speech pathology (SP) services are limited in adult acute care settings, and minimal to non-existent in paediatric acute care settings. There is no published literature on weekend SP services in Australian tertiary paediatric hospitals.
Speech pathology departments from three Australian tertiary paediatric hospitals piloted a weekend SP service, each with differing resource allocation. All models investigated patient care outcomes and caregiver and health professionals’ satisfaction. This presentation describes the outcomes of a three-month trial of a comprehensive 7-day-a-week SP service piloted at a tertiary Australian paediatric hospital.
One senior SP was rostered on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for eight hours on each day. Referrals were accepted from all hospital wards and the Emergency Department. All subspecialities who typically refer to SP were represented in the weekend referral data. The weekend service generated 30% more new referrals to SP, compared with baseline data of 5-day week, with 90% of weekend patients seen aged 0-5 years, and all referred for feeding and swallowing issues. Clinical feeding assessment, intervention and caregiver/health professional training was provided. The outcomes of the weekend SP service on patient care included improved continuity of care, establishment and progression of oral feeding, improved feeding efficiency and safety, harm avoidance, contribution to differential diagnosis, and early referral for instrumental assessment, subspecialities and local services. The weekend service enabled 10% of patients to transition from nasogastric tube (NGT) feeds to full oral diet, and NGT feeds were commenced for 3% of patients to avoid harm and/or support growth and nutrition/hydration. Admission was avoided for one patient, and length of stay was reduced by a total of 24 days across 14 patients (average 1-3 days per patient). Qualitative feedback from caregivers, and health staff was overwhelmingly positive and reflected the observed outcomes of the pilot.
Speech pathology departments from three Australian tertiary paediatric hospitals piloted a weekend SP service, each with differing resource allocation. All models investigated patient care outcomes and caregiver and health professionals’ satisfaction. This presentation describes the outcomes of a three-month trial of a comprehensive 7-day-a-week SP service piloted at a tertiary Australian paediatric hospital.
One senior SP was rostered on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for eight hours on each day. Referrals were accepted from all hospital wards and the Emergency Department. All subspecialities who typically refer to SP were represented in the weekend referral data. The weekend service generated 30% more new referrals to SP, compared with baseline data of 5-day week, with 90% of weekend patients seen aged 0-5 years, and all referred for feeding and swallowing issues. Clinical feeding assessment, intervention and caregiver/health professional training was provided. The outcomes of the weekend SP service on patient care included improved continuity of care, establishment and progression of oral feeding, improved feeding efficiency and safety, harm avoidance, contribution to differential diagnosis, and early referral for instrumental assessment, subspecialities and local services. The weekend service enabled 10% of patients to transition from nasogastric tube (NGT) feeds to full oral diet, and NGT feeds were commenced for 3% of patients to avoid harm and/or support growth and nutrition/hydration. Admission was avoided for one patient, and length of stay was reduced by a total of 24 days across 14 patients (average 1-3 days per patient). Qualitative feedback from caregivers, and health staff was overwhelmingly positive and reflected the observed outcomes of the pilot.
Refrences
Sarkies, M.N., White, J., Henderson, K., Hass, R., Bowles, J. Additional weekend allied health services reduce length of stay in subacute rehabilitation wards but their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are unclear in acute general medical and surgical hospital wards: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy. 2018; 64(3): 142-58
O'Brien L., Mitchell D., Skinner EH., Haas R., Ghaly M., McDermott F., May, K., Haines, T. What makes weekend allied health services effective and cost-effective (or not) in acute medical and surgical wards? Perceptions of medical, nursing, and allied health workers. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):345.
Taylor NF., Brusco NK., Watts JJ., Shields N., Peiris C., Sullivan N., Kennedy, G., Teo, CK., Farley, A., Lockwood, K., Radia-George, C. A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial incorporating a health economic analysis to investigate if additional allied health services for rehabilitation reduce length of stay without compromising patient outcomes. BMC Health Serv Res. 2010;10:308.
O'Brien L., Mitchell D., Skinner EH., Haas R., Ghaly M., McDermott F., May, K., Haines, T. What makes weekend allied health services effective and cost-effective (or not) in acute medical and surgical wards? Perceptions of medical, nursing, and allied health workers. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):345.
Taylor NF., Brusco NK., Watts JJ., Shields N., Peiris C., Sullivan N., Kennedy, G., Teo, CK., Farley, A., Lockwood, K., Radia-George, C. A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial incorporating a health economic analysis to investigate if additional allied health services for rehabilitation reduce length of stay without compromising patient outcomes. BMC Health Serv Res. 2010;10:308.
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Gloria Tzannes has 27 years experience in paediatric speech pathology practice, with a special interest in paediatric feeding. She is the Head of the Speech Pathology Department at the Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, and is involved in the development and implementation of models of care in the tertiary paediatric setting.
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
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