Coffs Harbour Speech Pathology Service:
The Hospital Speech Pathology Department provides inpatient and outpatient services to adults (18+ years) as well as babies or children with feeding difficulties while they are in hospital. Adult patients are seen for assessment, treatment, and/or management for a range of swallowing and communication disorders.
Swallowing Difficulties:
- Difficulties managing secretions, spillage of food/fluids from the mouth, problems chewing food, difficulty controlling and manipulating food or fluid, food pocketing in the mouth
- Coughing or choking during eating or drinking, excessive throat clearing, gurgly voice, slow swallow response, absent swallow reflex, uncoordinated swallow, food getting stuck in the throat
- Increased duration of meals, unexplained weight loss, dehydration, frequent chest infections.
Communication Difficulties:
- Language: difficulty understanding or using spoken and or written words (e.g. aphasia)
- Speech: use of speech sounds resulting in reduced clarity and intelligibility
- Voice: disorders of vocal cord function and use
- Fluency: stuttering.
Referral Process:
People can self-refer, GP’s and other agency referrals are accepted phone to be placed on the waiting list for an appointment Referral and intake details will be taken over the phone Due to service demands a prioritisation system is utilised.
Speech Pathology Services Hastings/Macleay Area:
Child and Family Speech Pathology provides a free clinic based service to infants and children living in the Hastings/Macleay area.
Clients who are eligible for, or are currently receiving speech pathology from any other service are only eligible to access one service. This may include:
- Clients eligible to receive a speech pathology service at ADHC
- Children eligible to receive speech pathology services within an early childhood intervention program
- Clients currently receiving private speech pathology services.
Speech Pathology Service (children) provides assistance with communication or feeding problems:
- Early/infant feeding difficulties
- Preverbal & early language development (0 – 24 months)
- Language delay/disorder
- Articulation (ability to speak clearly) difficulties
- Stuttering
- Social language
- Pre-reading skills
- School counsellors IQ assessment report required for all school age language referrals.
Referral Process:
Self referral to this service is accepted. To make your referral, speak with a Speech Pathologist directly on our central intake line (see below for details).
Services available at these locations
Speech Pathology Service
Coffs Harbour Health Campus
345 Pacific Highway
Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Phone 02 6656 7700
Fax 02 6656 7687
Hours
Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5pm
Primary Health Speech Pathology Service
Macksville Health Campus
100 Darruya Road
North Macksville NSW 2447
Provides a free clinic based Speech Pathology Service to infants, children and their families and adult services.
Phone 02 6568 2677
Fax 02 6568 2391
Hours
Monday – Friday 8am – 4.30pm
Referral Process:
To make your referral, speak with a Speech Pathologist directly on our central intake line:
Phone 02 6589 2245
The intake line covers all of the clinics in the Hastings Macleay area and operates between the hours of:
Mondays 9am – 12.30pm
Wednesdays 1pm – 4.30pm
Waiting lists may apply. Due to service demands a prioritisation system is utilised.
Nambucca HealthOne
4 Fred Brain Avenue
Nambucca Heads NSW 2448
Call to arrange appointment time:
Phone 02 6568 2677
Fax 02 6568 2391