Bolton Start Well

Information from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Speech and Language Therapy Service.

Please find below a reminder of the process for referring into Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT), following amendments made in January 2023.

Background
Following feedback from a number of referrers into Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) including Early Years Communication and Language Development Service (EYCLDS), the pathway was reviewed in January 2023 and continues to be:

• When speech, language and communication is the only concern, the Single Agency Referral form can be used.
• For those children where there are additional concerns, referrals should still be made using the Early Help Assessment (EHA) form, as the purpose of EHA is to provide a team around the child to support the children, young person and family with their additional needs.
  • Copies of the original EHA and subsequent EHA reviews are required when making a referral.
• A pathway is included at the start of the Single Agency Referral form for information and to clarify which form should be used.
  • Please note this referral form is the same for children of all ages, if you are referring a child who is no longer in EYFS, then please disregard the WellComm scoring section.

Quality of referrals/referrer
It is advised that referrals are made by the person or service who know the child best. There is no difference in waiting times based on who makes the referral, but there is a marked difference in the referral quality when this is completed by someone who knows the child well.

Please ensure that all sections are completed when you are referring the child and if an EHA is being used, then please ensure your referral information is focused on the functional impact of the child's speech, language and communication concerns, for example, a child's speech sound clarity difficulties are impacting on behaviour/ speaking confidence.

A new referral form has been developed for dysphagia (feeding/ swallowing) requests. This may be less likely to be needed by education settings. These should be marked as urgent when emailed to our admin team.

Rejection of referrals
If children are referred without the right form or level of information, then referrals will be rejected. Triage Rejection - Information for Providers.