Speech Therapy Follow Up Maintenance

---
name: speech-therapy-follow-up-maintenance
description: |
  Plan follow-up and maintenance so gains for children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties are checked and sustained.
  TRIGGERS - Use when a speech and language therapist needs a follow-up & maintenance schedule for children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes.
category: Speech & Language Therapy
license: MIT
version: 1.0
---
# Follow-Up & Maintenance Schedule — Speech & Language Therapy

Plan follow-up and maintenance so gains for children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties are checked and sustained. The deliverable is a follow-up schedule with intervals, checks and escalation triggers.
This skill is written for a speech and language therapist working with children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes.

## When to use
- You are a speech and language therapist preparing, delivering or reviewing this part of your work in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes.
- You need a defensible, repeatable approach that produces a follow-up schedule with intervals, checks and escalation triggers.
- A colleague, auditor or client asks how this was done and what evidence supports it.

## Key Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Dysphagia | difficulty swallowing |
| AAC | augmentative and alternative communication methods and devices |
| Expressive language | using words and sentences to communicate |

## Workflow
1. **Step 1** - Set follow-up intervals from the plan and from how assessment waiting times is expected to move over time
2. **Step 2** - Define what is checked at each contact, using assessment test kits where measurement is needed, and record it in communication assessments
3. **Step 3** - Give children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties clear guidance for the interval: what to do, what to watch for, when to make contact sooner
4. **Step 4** - Act early on warning signs — deterioration linked to aspiration risk not identified shortens the interval, never lengthens it
5. **Step 5** - Close the follow-up cycle formally when goals are met, with a summary and re-entry route if needs return

## Profession-Specific Components
| Component | Details for Speech & Language Therapy |
|-----------|-------------------------------|
| Core documentation | communication assessments; swallowing assessments; therapy plans; progress reviews |
| Core tools & equipment | assessment test kits; communication aids; videofluoroscopy access; AAC devices |
| People involved | children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties; the speech and language therapist; colleagues and other services in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes |
| Primary record | communication assessments — keep it current, dated and attributable |

## Output Format
**Context:** [Situation in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes] | **Objective:** [What this must achieve] | **Audience:** [children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties and other stakeholders]

The finished output is a follow-up schedule with intervals, checks and escalation triggers, structured as:
1. Summary of position and evidence
2. Detail, following the workflow above
3. Decisions, actions, owners and dates
4. Review point and escalation route

### Action Plan
1. **Immediate:** Confirm scope, consent and the evidence available in communication assessments.
2. **Short-term:** Complete the workflow steps and record outcomes against assessment waiting times.
3. **Medium-term:** Review results, close actions, and update local procedures in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes.

## Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Method |
|--------|--------|--------|
| assessment waiting times | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from communication assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| goal achievement rates | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from communication assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| swallowing safety outcomes | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from communication assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| review completion rates | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from communication assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |

## Guardrails & Quality Checks
- Never let this happen: aspiration risk not identified.
- Never let this happen: communication needs overlooked.
- Never let this happen: delayed referral.
- Work only within the competence and authority of a speech and language therapist; escalate or refer anything beyond it.
- Record facts and observations, not speculation, and keep records confidential to clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes's rules.
- Verify names, dates, figures and measurements twice before anything is issued or signed off.
- Use only real, verified information from the case in hand — never invent results, credentials or evidence.

## Example (illustrative)
A speech and language therapist in clinics, schools, hospital wards and homes applies this workflow for children and adults with communication or swallowing difficulties: they open
communication assessments, work through the five steps using assessment test kits, and close by recording
the outcome against assessment waiting times and agreeing the next review date. (Illustrative example only —
replace with the real details of the case in hand.)