Speech and language therapy helping premature babies

In 2024, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s neonatal Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) team saw 94 per cent of referrals on the same day they were referred, resulting in timely and responsive intervention.

Babies born early, or at full term with medical concerns, are at risk of feeding and communication difficulties. Since the SLT team was established in March 2022 at New Cross Hospital, it has supported families to help their babies move from tube feeding to oral feeding, alongside advising on early communication. The team comprises Advanced Practitioner Neonatal SLT Rachel Evans and Highly Specialist Neonatal SLT Alex Davis.

Before March 2022, infants were seen by the community SLT team or would be followed up on discharge home.

The team is now on the neonatal unit five days a week and works with families and the wider neonatal team to identify babies at risk of feeding and/or communication difficulties. It supports families in their baby’s care, including feeding choice, and helps to develop pre-feeding skills, for example, sucking.

Alex and Rachel support families to recognise when their baby is ready to start feeding by mouth and the introduction of suck feeding, as well as offering guidance regarding a baby’s readiness to feed without a tube.

They support families and staff in establishing a baby’s early language development and educates other members of the neonatal multidisciplinary team to support quality and evidence-based practice by providing regular teaching and training to nursing and medical staff, alongside the wider AHPP, family integrated care and infant feeding teams.

Rachel says: “Over the last three years, there has been a significant increase in the number of babies being discharged with a short-term feeding tube. This allows them to develop feeding at home in their own time, supported by the neonatal community outreach team, rather than hospital.

“Babies have been discharged sooner. This leads to more positive feeding, meaning they’re less likely to experience difficulties.”

Dr Richard Heaver, Clinical Director, adds: “We now have a better understanding of the complexities of feeding by mouth, but ask for SLT review more consistently. More babies will go home with short-term feeding tubes with access to SLT, and this is positive.”