Head of Intergrated Services - Liza Mcllvenny

Operational Pathway Lead - Kate Marlor Gem

PHYSIOTHERAPY

The Outpatient Physiotherapy service can be contacted by telephone on 0161 419 4060 

Outpatient Therapy Team Lead - Janine Higson supported by Jane Turner

Professional Lead for Physiotherapy - Denise Woodcock

HAND THERAPY

The Outpatient Hand Therapy service can be contacted by telephone on 0161 419 4060

The Outpatient Physiotherapy and the Hand Therapy service are open Monday & Thursday 08:00–18:00 and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 08.00 -17.00. Both services are located in the Outpatient Therapy Department on the ground floor at Stepping Hilll Hospital

HYDROTHERAPY

Hydrotherapy can be contacted by telephone on 0161 419 5892. Please leave a message if no-one is available to take your call.

SALT

The Outpatient Speech & Language Therapy service can be contacted by telephone on 0161 419 5897 - Sue Addlestone (Voice and Dysfluency/Stammering), Rachel Brennan, Pam Thomas, Grace Walsh & Elizabeth Worsley). Please leave a message if there is no-one available to take your call. Messages are retrieved regularly during the day.

The Outpatient Speech & Language Therapy service is open Monday- Friday 09:00-17:00(For Voice and Dysfluecy/stammering Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8.00–15.15)

DIETETIC

Outpatient Dietetic Service - 0161 419 2182 (Adele Sykes & Cathy Head – Paediatric Dieticians). Please ring to rearrange or to arrange a telephone consultation.

The Outpatient Dietetic service is open for telephone calls between Monday-Friday 09.00-15.30. Clinics run on Tuesdays between 09.30-12.30 & on Wednesdays between 09.00-11.40

The Outpatient Dietetic service is found in the ‘Treehouse’ at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, SK2 7JE and the staff are based within the Outpatient Therapies Department on the ground floor in Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, SK 27JE

The Outpatient Therapies Department is a multi-disciplinary service provision and represents the combined professions of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Therapy and Dietetics. Service users are referred for the relevant service based within this department and a synopsis of these services now follows:- 

Outpatient Physiotherapy service

This service provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation support for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions and problems in the acute, sub-acute and chronic stages mainly on a 1:1 basis but also through group classes.

The Outpatient Physiotherapy service is a hospital based service that seeks to provide an assessment, diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of orthopaedic, soft tissue and nervous system related problems. Anyone referred into the service will be seen unless the problems relate to a complex neurological condition (e.g stroke) and referrals are received from Orthopaedics & Fracture clinic, GPs, Pain clinic, A&E, Occupational Health and Women’s Health 

Outpatient Hand Therapy service

(involving both Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists). An Outpatient service specialising in assessing and treating patients having problems using their hands as a result of a specific condition, following trauma, or elective surgery.

The Outpatient Hand Therapy service is based in the Outpatient Therapy Department at Stepping Hill Hospital. We also provide cover for two weekly Consultant-led hand clinics. Our service provides specialist hand therapy assessment/management by both Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists and we can only accept written referrals direct from our Orthopaedic Consultants and GPs, being currently unable to accept self referral. 

Speech & Language Therapy Outpatient service

This service provides support for Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), Communication, Voice problems & Dysfluency (stammering). You may be referred to our service if you have difficulty eating and drinking or if you have difficulty with your speech or language e.g. finding the right words, not being able to speak fluently/stammering, understanding information or making yourself understood.

The Outpatient Speech & Language service provides appointments to come into the Outpatient department for an assessment. For those who are housebound, we are able to do some home visits. The Therapist will help you by finding out what happens with your particular problem and you will be given information about it. You will have the chance to ask any questions in a safe and comfortable environment and the therapist will advise you of the type of therapy that will suit your individual needs. If appropriate you may be given some easy exercises to practice at home. 

• Dysphagia – referrals are accepted from an appropriate health professional e.g. GP, district nurse, nursing home. During the assessment, following history taking, you will be seen eating and drinking a small amount of a variety of textures. The SLT uses a variety of technique to find out more about your swallowing difficulty. Recommendations are then made which may include exercises, dietary modification or further investigations.

• Communication – referrals are accepted from appropriate professionals or from the patient themselves. Assessment will be carried out to determine the specific areas of difficulty and agree on an appropriate plan. This may mean individual therapy, group therapy, exercises or computer based therapy to be carried out independently.

• Stammering - this may come and go dependent on what situation you are in or you may stammer all the time.  This can have effect your life on many different levels.  Through speech and language therapy, you can be helped to gain control of speech. 

• Voice - your voice may have changed in some way.  It might sound hoarse all the time or at certain times of the day.  Or, your voice may sound normal, but speaking may be a strain. You may have been told you have nodules, which are like blisters on the vocal cords. It is important to have help with your voice to stop it getting worse. You should be able to gain control of your speech and the therapist will also help you begin to gain control of your speech in all areas of your life.  Your first appointment is in the form of an advice/information session in the outpatient department.  This will give you details of how you can improve your voice on your own.  The appointment is with a speech and language who is a specialist in voice problems and some other patients with the same problem as yours.

Depending on the type of voice problem you have, you may be offered a first appointment with the specialist therapist on your own. Following your initial appointment, you may choose to come back for further appointments with the specialist therapist on your own. At these appointments the therapist will assess your needs and find out exactly what is stopping your voice getting better.  You will be given some easy exercises to practice at home. Following your therapy, you should be able to get back to using your voice as you did before. The voice therapy you receive will also teach you how to look after your voice and prevent further problems in the future. The exercises do not involve anything being put down your throat and are therefore completely painless.  

Outpatient Dietetics service

This service uses special diets to resolve symptoms of ill-health and improves the nutritional status of those that have become nutritionally depleted due to poor diet or ill health and specialising in Paediatrics.

The Outpatient Dietetics service is a hospital based service for the Treehouse and Maternity wards and Outpatient clinics. These clinics are twice per week (Tuesday & Wednesday mornings) for routine Paediatric dietetic issues, once per week for type 1 diabetes and four times per year for cystic fibrosis.

The dieticians will take a detailed account of a child’s growth history and their usual diet and provide advice regarding specific changes needed to address symptoms and nutritional status. Dietetic review is provided until the family routinely follow the prescribed dietary plan, until it is no longer required or until the child reaches adulthood with their life-long condition.  

The Outpatient Hand Therapy service comprises of 3 Occupational Therapists and 4 Physiotherapists all of whom are registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). In addition, we have close links with the North West British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) and maintain an active involvement in regular in-service training, meetings and networking. We are specialized in helping people with surgical wounds, splints and functional rehabilitation.

The Outpatient Physiotherapy service is comprised of around 30 Physiotherapists all of whom are registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). The service’s close collaborative relationship with the Trust’s consultants, particularly in Orthopaedics and Pain, means that patients receive excellent continuity of care from highly experienced staff including a number of Physiotherapists working as Extended Scope Practitioners (ESPs) within both the Outpatient Therapies department and also the Orthopaedic clinics themselves. We are specialised in helping people rehabilitate and regain normal movement and function. 

The Outpatient Speech & Language Therapy service is comprised of several therapists whom are all registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HPC). We have specialist knowledge of many medical conditions including stroke, neurological conditions, Parkinson’s disease, swallowing problems, Dementia, and all have excellent knowledge and understanding regarding the anatomy.

The Outpatient Dietetics service is comprised of 2 Paediatric Dieticians registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). It is an individualised service tailored to meet the needs of an individual’s lifestyle with the emphasis being upon practically and achievability. The aim is to ensure that the dietary advice is implemented and supported and the feedback received from service users has shown the support given has generally been extremely helpful. 

The Outpatient Dietetics service requires the red book to be brought along for updating and infants to be dressed in easily removable clothes. Height and weight will be taken for all clients, but there not be any x-rays or bloods taken. Children receive toys to play with upon attendance. Waiting time, whilst here, is normally no longer than 20 minutes.

A review appointment, as necessary, will normally be made at the end of any attendance.

The Outpatient Hand Therapy service encourages clients to be clear exactly where their appointment is (as we cover 2 different areas: a service within the Outpatient Therapy Department and another one within the Outpatient Consultant-led Hand Clinics). Please ensure a list of any current medication being taken are provided and any currently used prescribed items are brought along (e.g. splints). We will aim to see clients on time and the first appointment in our Outpatient Therapy Department will be 40 minutes (per therapist) with appointments thereafter being negotiated on an individual basis. An assessment will be undertaken and advice/interventions as required will be provided.

Treatments may include: -

• wound care
• electrical therapies e.g. ultrasound
• provision of splints, most of which are custom made
• pressure garments
• scar management/advice
• individual exercise advice/regime
• sensory assessment & re-education
• functional assessment and rehabilitation

Clients will be issued with relevant written information, including specific exercises/advice. An appointment card with contact details will be provided. If an appointment needs to be rearranged it is essential the service is contacted as soon as possible to enable re-booking and reduce wasted appointments. Clients are encouraged to adhere to advice provided in order to facilitate your timely recovery and return to independent living.

The Outpatient Physiotherapy service encourages clients to arrive in plenty of time as each 1:1 attendance and class has a specific time. The service is located within the Outpatient Therapies Department off the main hospital corridor (formerly known as just the Physiotherapy Department). Comfortable and removable clothing is encouraged for the affected body part involved to be properly assessed on the first attendance and then treated by the Physiotherapist, which will involve movement and use of the relevant body area in a gentle/comfortable way. Normally following the initial assessment a follow up will be arranged there and then on the day of attendance. Physiotherapists explain what they have found from the assessment and then use a wide range of treatment modalities e.g. exercises, hands-on techniques, electrotherapy machines, acupuncture, advice & explanations,  goal setting and problem solving and always seek to do so in a supportive and partnering way.  

The Outpatient Speech & Language Therapy service encourages the service user to think about how you will explain your difficulty to the therapist and what problems it causes in everyday life. Write down any questions or concerns. Ideally make a note of the name of the therapist you are due to see. We will endeavor to see you on time. Length of appointments generally vary from 30minutes to an hour. Assessments are not invasive but therapist may ask to examine your mouth and throat during swallowing assessments. All future plans will be discussed and agreed with the patient during your initial assessment. You will be provided with your therapists contact details should you have any further queries. Doctors normally refer any patient who they feel would benefit from the service, but you can ask about referring yourself by contacting us directly. For voice problems we would usually recommend an appointment with an ENT consultant if you have not already seen one.