Speech and Language Therapy

Adult Speech and language therapy is provided at Dorset County Hospital for people aged over 16. Qualified and registered speech and language therapists deliver the service in accordance with their professional body the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

We provide both an inpatient and outpatient service and work with people with acquired speech, voice, communication and/or swallowing difficulties. Our speech therapists specialise in stroke rehabilitation, critical care, palliative care, head and neck surgery, and elderly care.

We see patients with the following conditions, as well as patients with no confirmed diagnosis: Stroke, acquired brain injury, progressive neurological disease such as Motor Neurone Disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, as well as Dementia.

The outpatient service takes referrals for patients with voice disorders and disorders as a consequence of head and neck cancer. We work closely with the Multidisciplinary team to jointly run the Videofluoroscopy Clinic and Head and Neck Clinic.

Throughout the different services within the hospital, Speech and Language Therapy work in partnership with individuals and their families or carers, and other professions and agencies, with the main goals to maximise the person's communication potential and/or minimise the risks of eating and drinking impairments.

How to refer

We accept referrals from within hospital via our ICE online referral system from doctors/consultants, GPs and specialist nurses. 

Contact us

Speech and Language Therapy Team Office
Rehabilitation Department
Damers House
Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue
Dorchester
DT1 2JY

Telephone: 01305 255165​