Colleagues to present at national speech and language therapy conference

Two of our colleagues here at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) have been invited to present at the three-day Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ national conference.

Martyne May and Pip Hardy will talk about a quality improvement (QI) project they led to reduce waiting times in the trust’s community Adult Speech and Language Therapy Service.

The project started in March 2019, with the work carried out over 18 months. It aimed to improve how patients move through the system. Asking patients what is important to them was at the heart of all they did.

The conference has a theme of breaking barriers and building better. Delegates are expected from around the UK and across the globe. The event gives speech and language therapists from all specialisms and sectors the opportunity to come together virtually for learning, connecting and recharging. It takes place on 5 to 7 October.

Martyne is the lead for quality, governance and professional standards in the Adult Speech and Language Therapy and Community Nutrition and Dietetics Services and Pip is a Clinical Service Manager and Professional Lead. They originally submitted an abstract for the conference, but on learning of the project, the organisers asked the pair if they would present a session. The national event has several presenters talking about QI.

Martyne, who started the project during her quality, service improvement and redesign (QSIR) practitioner course at KCHFT, said: “It’s an honour to be selected to present. We’re very pleased.”

You can read more about the work on our projects page.