“I am the Team Manager for Adult Speech & Language Therapy at the Trust.  I qualified from university in 2000 and took up my first post in Birmingham with paediatrics.  I joined the Trust in 2002 and began to specialise in working with adults with acquired neurological conditions.  I took the position of Team Manager in 2016.

“I knew I wanted to be a speech and language therapist since school age - mainly due to my love of communicating which will come as no surprise to those who know me!

“My clinical job involves assessing and managing people who have communication and swallowing difficulties.  This can be due to a number of conditions, such as an acute event like stroke, general frailty or a long standing progressive neurological condition. 

“The best part of my clinical work is helping people along their journey of recovery.  It is extremely satisfying to tell someone they can eat again safely after weeks of being nil by mouth, or facilitating them to speak - whether this is verbally or through the use of technology.

“The NHS is constantly changing and can be a fast paced, challenging but exciting environment to work in.  My team manager role has allowed me to lead on service improvements and play a crucial role in supporting and developing staff.  Speech Therapy is a small team and not without challenges, so it is so gratifying to see the lengths staff will go to support each other and ensure patients are always put first.

“The biggest change I have seen since starting in the NHS has got to be the shift in technology.  When I started my career, if someone was unable to speak verbally their options were limited.  Most people remember the robotic sounding devices used.  Times have certainly changed and now people can voice bank and use their own voices through iPads.  I love that as a speech therapist I can play an integral part in this journey with the patient.

“I work on a daily basis with some amazing people, many of which have helped me along my journey.  I am proud to be part of the NHS and could not imagine doing anything else.”