Two of our Speech and
Language Therapists have taken part in a Zoom call with a member of the Royal
family as part of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Royal College of
Speech and Language Therapists.
Rachel Radford,
Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, and Rebekah Davies, Digital
Health Clinical Lead/ HCPC and Speech and Language Therapist, were invited to
take part in the panel of therapists for showing leadership in the field of
telehealth.
They were joined on
the Zoom call by the College’s patron, Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, who
spoke to the small group and heard about their experiences during the Covid
period.
Rachel said: “It was
an absolute honour and a total surprise to be asked to be part of the panel and
a privilege to be alongside therapists from across the UK who have shown
leadership in their field, particularly in this challenging year. The Countess
of Wessex was encouraging, interested and keen to highlight the amazing
achievements of the Speech and Language Profession in The RCSLT’s 75th year. It
was a real highlight in a tough but innovative year of surprising
opportunities. I was so proud to represent all that SLTs in TRFT have
achieved.”
The conversation,
which was held virtually via Zoom, covered a wide range of topics, including
members’ work with Covid-19 patients, telehealth, diversity within the profession
and the importance of good leadership.
Rebekah said: “For
me, it was such a privilege as an SLT working in Health Informatics
to have an opportunity to raise, recognise and reflect on the significance of
digital practice in speech and language therapy, not just in Rotherham but as
part of the wider digital agenda nationally and, how we have helped inform
and innovate changes in practice, paving the way to support and meet the future
digital needs of the profession.
“HRH
The Countess of Wessex was knowledgeable, insightful and appreciative of
our profession and it was so humbling to feel recognised and acknowledged for
work we are so passionate about. It will certainly stay with me as a career
highlight as I continue my journey in digital health.”
During the call, the
Countess said as patron, she was incredibly proud of the part that speech and
language therapists have played in supporting their colleagues. She said:
“Speech and language therapists are a particular breed – very caring and very
empathetic – so I’m not surprised at all that they’ve stepped up and have had
to perform all sorts of different roles because that’s exactly the people that
speech and language therapists are, eminently adaptable to all sorts of
situations.”
You can watch the entire call on YouTube here.