Man with Parkinson's Disease overjoyed to be able to stay in contact with his long-distance daughters thanks to innovative voice therapy
The wife of a man who has struggled with his speech since being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, has praised a new piece of technology that is helping him to stay in regular contact with his daughters.
The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) Speech Therapy Parkinson's team, which is based at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, is using voice therapy software on smartphones, tablets and computer-based devices, supporting patients to access care and therapy from the comfort of their home, avoiding unnecessary trips to hospital.
The new technology is improving outcomes for patients with Parkinson's Disease, supporting a reduction in waitlists and improving the patient experience while also allowing clinicians to see more people in the same amount of time.
The software provides a link between Speech Therapists and their patients, so therapists can provide self-directed, structured speech therapy exercises that help patients maintain the strength and ability of their speech, a hugely important factor in their quality of life, as Barbara - the wife of patient Paul Tunnicliffe - is keen to explain.
The couple live in Ashbourne, and have three daughters who live across the country, so it was important to them that Paul was able to use the phone confidently to stay in touch.
"At first, he really struggled using the phone and they couldn’t hear him well but since working with Caroline and using the app, that has really improved and they can speak with him on the phone everyday, which means a lot to him.
"The technology was really well suited to Paul's needs, it was easy to use, could be used anywhere and it encouraged him to be independent."
Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2018. As well as having difficulty swallowing, Paul struggles with the strength of his voice - but therapy using this technology has helped improve this symptom.
Paul has since also been diagnosed with Alzheimers and Barbara said the care and support they have received from Caroline and the team has helped Paul keep some normality since his diagnosis.
She said: "We have always felt well supported, it has been much more convenient accessing the therapy at home instead of having to go into hospital so regularly, but there was always an avenue for contact if we needed it, the care has been fantastic - we are so grateful to the team."
The Telea software was designed by a speech and language therapist with patient care and quality of experience at the heart of the app. During the one-year project, it was found to reduce waiting time for therapy from an average wait of six weeks to zero and has the added benefit that these exercise can be accessed by the patient anywhere, any time
Caroline Bartliff is a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in the Derby Parkinson's Team. She said utilising apps and allowing for patients to independently access their therapy exercises at home makes a huge difference to their care - and that they are seeing people "doing better with their therapy" as a result.
Caroline said: "Our focus for the pilot was to reduce waiting times for patients for both initial assessment and therapy. When doing the pilot, we saw results pretty much straight away and saved on average 14-17 hours per month of clinical time which equates to six therapy slots a week. That meant we were able to see more people and offer a better patient experience.
"The patient feedback has been really positive and patients are doing better with their therapy. They are able to do it in their own time and they feel like they are able to achieve their goals in a way that is more comfortable for them, reducing the amount of time they have to spend coming into hospital and enabling them to independently manage their symptoms."
As part of the intervention, Caroline or one of the other Speech Therapists in the team will complete an initial assessment with the patient in person at the clinic, before supporting them to download the app or access the software from their chosen device.
Caroline explained: "After the initial assessment, the patient would then do the exercises prescribed at home, ideally a minimum of five times a week. Every week, we log in to the online platform, adjust their therapy tasks and leave a message of encouragement. Four weeks later, they are reviewed in clinic, evaluation forms completed and re-assessed for whether they have achieved their goals."
The service is currently being offered at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital but Caroline said Parkinson's patients under the care of Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton have access to care in the outpatient clinic.
Caroline added: "It is important to us that we try and make improvements where we can and we want to embrace different technology to see what is best for our service users."
The implementation of this technology, and the significant improvements it is having on waiting lists and patient experience, was recognised by Stephen Posey, Chief Executive at UHDB, who recently presented the team with a Making a Difference Award.
Stephen said: "This team is leading the way with its innovative approach, which puts patient experience at its forefront.
"It is right that we look at how digital tools and advancements can support us to deliver better-quality, person-centred care - and this is an excellent example of that in action.
"I am pleased to see that these improvements are not only having a positive impact on overall patient experience but have also resulted in a significant reduction to waiting lists and improved outcomes, which continues to be a focus for us as a Trust."
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