Share review of St Mary's Hospital

St Mary's Hospital 2023-05-02 Person 5 5 0

My daughter is now 16, but SALT has been involved with her care from a very early age. Over the years, it has been a difficult journey. As a parent of a special needs child, it is never easy to hear that your child is at a high risk of aspirating. At times, I was in denial about the information being given to me. Our therapist [name removed] has always been clear, supportive, and understanding of the risks my daughter was facing, and the difficulty I had in accepting next step action. [name removed] built up a fantastic relationship with me, and it gave me a high level of trust in the advice she was giving. Over the years, my daughter's swallow ability has deteriorated and [name removed] was available for advice and support at every step, and I am incredibly grateful for her continued support and continuity with everything. Deciding to go forward with a gastrostomy was the hardest decision I've had to make, but I am so glad I did. The PEG has literally been a lifesaver in more than a few ways. I would never have allowed it to be done if it weren't for the support and information given to me by [name removed]. My daughter has exceeded her life expectancy by quite a few years (as told to me by a Professor that used to work at NGH) , and I honestly put that down to the diligent work of SALT, and many of the other pediatric disciplines that Northampton General Hospital has put us in touch with over the years. I have recently seen a little boy go through the worst side of aspiration whilst we were in Paddington ward, and it brought it home to me how important it is to follow the advice given by trained medical professionals. And again, I can't stress how grateful I am that [name removed] persevered in supporting a reluctant parent like me! SALT is an invaluable service that does more than

Parking at NGH. Always the parking!