AQW 12199/22-27


Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim


Tabled Date: 20/05/2024
Answered On Date: 06/06/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 10327/22-27, to detail the number of whole time equivalent speech and language therapists are currently employed (i) in hospital acute stroke units; and (ii) in community stroke teams, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.


Answer:
Information provided by Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts on the whole-time equivalent of speech and language therapists employed in hospital and community stroke teams, at 31 March 2024, is detailed in the table below.
HSC Trust
Speech and language therapists employed in stroke services (WTE) at 31 March 2024
Hospital stroke units
Community stroke teams
Belfast 1
3.5
3.3
Northern 2
0.8
2.5
South Eastern
0.8
3.6
Southern 3
2.26
3.5
Western 4
0.0
3.0
Notes:
In BHSCT, there is an additional 1.0 WTE speech & language therapist with direct clinical, management, and professional responsibilities over both hospital and community stroke services.
NHSCT note that an additional 0.5 WTE speech & language therapist time from the main inpatient team can provide communication support to stroke patients.
SHSCT note that 0.65 WTE of the 2.26 WTE are based in the acute hospital Craigavon area, the remainder are in non-acute hospitals.
In WHSCT, the community speech & language therapists provide services to hospital stroke units on a sessional basis. This amounts to 1.2 WTE of the 3.0 WTE community staff available.