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Speak Out August 2013 27
Professional Practice News
Some would say that
variety is the spice of life, but
when it comes to assessing
communication and swallowing disorders
and the subsequent reporting of findings,
consistency of style is of upmost
importance. Consumers, referring
professionals, employers and third party
funders require and deserve certainty
that standard assessment protocols
will be adhered to and that a written
report will be provided that clearly and
accurately reports assessment findings.
I’m aware there are many of you out
there who would admit that for various
reasons you are being prevented from
meeting best practice standards for
assessment and report writing.
Common reasons in the public sector
include:
• Limited or no funding to purchase
all necessary assessment tools
or to update tools;
• Pressure to spend less time than
is necessary to complete an
assessment;
• Pressure (or in one reported case
it was a directive!) to not complete
standardised assessments;
• Incomplete, out-dated or absent
policies and procedures regarding
the assessment and report writing
standards for the service;
• Pared back assessment and
report writing standards in an
effort to reduce time and increase
through-put.
Now you would think that in the
private sector things would be easier
in some respects, because the private
practitioner (PP) purchases their own
resources and develops their own
policies and procedures. However,
what seems to happen here is that PPs
feel pressured to reduce the costs for
either themselves or their client.
I’ve actually had members who are setting
up a private practice tell me that they
aren’t going to do assessments because
the assessment tools are too expensive
and they can’t afford to purchase them!
I’m not joking… I have actually heard this
on more than one occasion. I’m sure you
will all agree with me that if you are going
into business then you are obliged to
purchase all of the necessary equipment
and tools to run that business, and in the
case of a speech pathology practice that
includes assessment tools.
I also personally know the dilemma
of trying to keep the cost down for a
client and being tempted to squeeze
an assessment into as short a session
as possible, or avoid multiple sessions
for an assessment and cater for the
possibility of the client possibly not
wanting a report if they know that they
have to pay extra for it.
We are beholden as members of the
only profession qualified to assess and
diagnose communication and swallowing
disorders to set and maintain consistent
best practice standards for the process
of assessment and reporting.
To assist our members to achieve that
aim SPA has developed two documents:
• A guideline for speech
pathologists, and;
• an information sheet for consumers.
We urge you to put these standards
into practice and, if you are meeting
resistance, to let us know so that we
can support you to effect change.
One situation we are hoping in
particular to prevent is when you are
asked to change or omit information in
a report. Being clear on what should be
included in a report and the legal entity
of a report once it is published may
help resolve or avoid this situation.
Oh, and I thought it might be helpful if
I shared with you some of the frequent
complaints we receive from consumers
about reports (that way you can make
sure you don’t get caught out in the
same way).
Complaints received include:
• having to wait an unreasonable
amount of time to receive
the report (six months is not
unheard of);
• not being aware that there is a
charge for the report;
• querying the amount of information
contained in the report compared
to the cost, and;
• inaccuracies in the report
including the client’s name being
incorrect, the wrong pronoun
being used throughout the report
or background information being
inaccurate.
Please share the information in
the guideline with colleagues and
management and feel free to provide the
information sheet to clients too. Together
we can work to set and maintain
appropriate standards for assessment
procedures and reporting writing.
Christine Lyons
Senior Advisor Professional Practice
Maintaining standards for assessment and reporting
Since writing this article, DisabilityCare has been launched and it has become clear that the participant centred planning (PCP)
process and the fee schedule provided under this scheme may require us as a profession to carefully consider the need, purpose
and content of reports. A greater emphasis on outcomes may require us to provide less detail about the assessment process and
more detail about the recommended plan for therapy/support and the focus on patient centred care will necessitate considering
the use of inclusive language (for example Easy English). We may also need to be prepared to advocate for ourselves if, for
example, a plan requests an assessment and report but does not have enough time allocated for this. We will certainly keep you
updated as we learn more about the practicalities of DisabilityCare (and of course continue to liaise with DisabilityCare regarding
issues and concerns). In the meantime you can have input into the discussion through our Disability Member Community.
Jemma Skeat Christine Lyons
National Advisor Research & Policy Senior Advisor Professional Practice