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BRANCHnews Newsouthwales

LiverpoolHospital SpeechPathologyDepartment celebrates itsheritageduring ICP2014

In2013 , Liverpool Hospital celebrated 200 years of service as Australia’s second oldest hospital. The original sitewas located onwhat is now the neighbouringTAFE on the banks of theGeorgesRiver, andwas used as an infirmary for soldiers and convicts. Whilst the speech pathology department can’t claim to have existedback then, the hospital’s 200 year anniversary ignitedour interest in the department’s heritage. Plus, with the launch of the International CommunicationProject 2014, it was decided a celebrationwas in order to highlight and celebrate the role of speech pathologists and the differences theymake to the lives of some of themost vulnerablemembers of the community. On1March2014 the current department hosted the Liverpool Hospital Speech PathologyReunion. Over 60people attended, representing four decades from the 1980s to now. It was a wonderful turnout and a fun night was hadby all. Many people commented that their years at the hospital equipped them with a strong notion of the importance of family and client-centredpractices. They recalled the department’s commitment toworkingwith vulnerablemembers of the community using innovativemodels of care. Educationwas another theme withmany recalling the early days of competency development, the value of robust training and themore recent new- graduate program. Dr TeresaAndersonwas a guest speaker and reflected on the early years. She commenced at Liverpool Hospital in 1981 as a sole clinician andmanaged the department until 1998. She is now theChief Executive of Sydney Local HealthDistrict. Teresa is known for her vision and leadership. AsDepartment Manager shewas a strong advocate for patientswith swallowing and communication difficulties and ensured the Liverpool community had a quality and sustainable speech pathology service. Under Teresa’s leadership the department was set on a trajectory of

Above, the Liverpool Hospital SpeechPathology Reunion had a great turnout, and right, Dr Teresa Anderson reflectedon her timewith the department during the celebrations.

incredible growth tobecome one of the country’s largest andbusiest speech pathology departments. In honour of Teresa’s achievements, the department’s annual award has been renamed ‘The TeresaAndersonSpeechPathology Award for Clinical Excellence’. From humble beginnings Liverpool Hospital is now the largest hospital and tertiary referral centre inNSW. The speech pathology department has approximately 28 full time clinicians providing services across the lifespan from neonatal intensive care, developmental paediatric and physical disability services, through to adult acute, neurosciences, head and neck cancer, traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, aged care andpalliative care services. The department’s commitment to innovation, partnership, research and education has remained, as has our focus on vulnerable communities. One highlight is the recent growth in services for theAboriginal communitywith two speech pathologists employed in partnershipwithKARI Aboriginal Resources Incorporated as

well as employingour first Aboriginal speech pathologist. Whilst we’ve come a longway, our work is far fromdone. There are still far toomany individuals livingwith communication and swallowing difficulties that need us tobe their advocate. We acknowledge staff past andpresent and thank everyone for their contribution. We’re proud of our past and excited about the future.What a great profession anddepartment tobe a part of! TiaCroft Headof Department, SpeechPathology Liverpool Hospital

20 SpeakOut April 2014

SpeechPathology Australia