Sheffield's Stammering Service: Saved?

26th October 2021

Breaking news: has Sheffield's adult stammering service, which was facing the axe next January, been saved? Read our update.

In July, we reported that the NHS specialist stammering service for adults in Sheffield was due to be closed (read 'Fighting for Sheffield's Stammering Service'). Since then, we and others have continued to object to the closure and encourage the local NHS Trust to think again.

We've just been informed that The Trust might be making a u-turn after reviewing its decision. Our contact said, "The Executive Team have decided that it will not cease providing services to adults in January 2022, but will continue to take referrals until there is suitable adult provision in place in Sheffield, working alongside the Clinical Commissioning Group and the Teaching Hospital Trust to ensure that this happens. The consultation on the original proposals will therefore not be going ahead".

We take this to mean that they won't be closing their service to adults after all and are instead working towards finding ways for the existing service to continue. That would be great news. However, it still isn't clear exactly what the plans are for the future of the service, so we'll continue to follow the situation closely and keep you updated. In the meantime you can read more about the lead-up to this recent decision below.

UPdate: July-now

Before updating you on what's been going on since July, we just want to emphasise that there were no concerns regarding the quality of support provided by the specialist stammering service in Sheffield. It's a well-respected service that supports children and adults who stammer and has, for many years, been hosted by Sheffield Children's NHS Trust. 

The NHS Trust's reasons for closing the service were not very clear, which has made the whole thing confusing. It's easy to assume that the decision was due to funding issues, but Sheffield Children’s NHS Trust have repeatedly denied this.

Since we first reported on the closure, we've continued to speak to the council's scrutiny committee as well as the speech & language therapy service, the Sheffield clinical commissioning group, local politicians and media, and to the 12 individuals who contacted us when their referrals to the service were rejected due to the closure.

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Earlier this month, Kirsten, our Programme Lead, attended another meeting of the catchily-titled Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee in Sheffield. Sheffield-based speech & language therapist (SLT) Isabel O'Leary and Kirsten spoke passionately at the meeting, challenging the closure. You can watch a webcast of the scrutiny committee meeting at sheffield.gov.uk. (Scroll down to where it says 'Media' and press 'View the webcast'. Start it at 15 minutes 18 seconds in to follow the topic). 

The councillors at the meeting were frustrated that a representative from Sheffield Children's NHS Trust was not present to respond to their questions and called an extraordinary general meeting for later this month to pursue the topic further.

Good…and bad news?

Just before we heard about it potentially being saved, the NHS Trust had agreed earlier this October to temporarily re-open the service, meaning the 12 individuals whose requests for support had been rejected would now be offered support. However, they were planning to close it again in mid-January 2022, despite the fact that a planned consultation on the future of the service would not have been completed by that time. With the breaking news above, however, we hope this will no longer be the case.

Media coverage

The issue is being followed closely by local newspaper The Star, who have included several related articles on their website. Read their latest article. It's also been picked up on BBC Radio Sheffield, who ran two segments about it on Tony Foster at Breakfast on 13th October, which you can listen to on BBC Sounds. The first segment starting at 7:14am includes an interview with Andy, whose referral to the service was rejected due to the closure, and Dean who has used the service in the past and found it "life-changing". The second segment, starting around 8:19, includes an interview with Sheffield SLT, Isabel O'Leary.

What next? 

Kirsten is planning to attend the next scrutiny committee meeting on 24th November (postponed from 29th October), so we'll keep you posted on what's going to happen. Thank you to all those from Sheffield who've contacted us offering their support. It's great, and we'll be in touch to let you know how you can help.