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).