Your NHS journey to Aphasia Support

For those who are newly diagnosed with Aphasia, seeking NHS support is always the first port of call.
Most NHS services offer speech and language therapy for a set period of time. Your local NHS team might be in a position to start supporting you immediately. It's also common to be placed on a waiting list. The truth is, the type and length of support you receive differs depending on where you live. That's where we come in.
At Aphasia Support, we work closely with the NHS to supplement their services.
We receive the majority of our referrals from healthcare professionals, often speech and language therapy teams in acute and community settings. That's because our charity provides intense tailored speech and language therapy, free of charge, to local residents.
At the heart of it all, we are trusted to provide quality, long-term support.
Sometimes we bridge the gap for people who find themselves stuck on long waiting lists, but in desperate need of support. Sometimes, people access our services alongside active input from an NHS team. More often than not, the NHS facilitate a seamless transition from their input ending to ours starting. It's a best-practice collaboration centred around our shared duty of care, and we feel fortunate to work alongside some brilliant Speech and Language Therapy teams and healthcare professionals across the Yorkshire region.
When a referral is made by an organisation like the NHS, the practitioner will help us get to know their patient so we can provide the best possible support.
For example, with your consent, the following information is shared:
- Contact details
- Healthcare provider (e.g. GP surgery)
- Healthcare conditions
- Aphasia diagnosis
- Completed exercises
- Communication goals
- Carer information and contact details
- Assessment reports and supporting documents
- Recommended pathway of support (e.g. 1:1 or group-based)
- Marketing and communication preferences
The team at Aphasia Support would then get in touch with you to offer a warm welcome and introduction to the charity. We like to get to know our clients and their carers personally, so we might ask questions about your family and friendships, hobbies and interests, and anything that could help us personalise your support.
Once we have everything we need to know, you'll then be invited to begin:
- 1:1 speech and language therapy - a six month programme with fortnightly sessions
- Group-based community rehabilitation through our twice-monthly Aphasia Cafe group settings
If you have any questions about your transition from the NHS to Aphasia Support, please email info@aphasiasupport.org or call our team on 0300 102 3500.
P.S. We also accept self-referrals from people with Aphasia, and their carers. Click here to find out more.