The call for home delivery
Author: Samantha David & Marie Hackshall
Magazine issue: Spring 06
Page numbers: 14-16
Date: 27 February 2006
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Non-attendance for speech and language therapy assessment of children from 0-4 years in Sure Starts Millmead and Margate was running at 53 per cent and 40 per cent respectively in 2002/3. Working in collaboration with local speech and language therapy services, Sure Start therapists Samantha David and Marie Hackshall researched the potential of telephone contact with the offer of a home visit to reduce non-attendance at initial appointments. The non-attendance figures for 2003/4 dropped to 10.6 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively, while non-attendance rates at a local clinic retaining the traditional pathway remained relatively consistent. The authors suggest reasons for the project’s success and describe how the project evaluation has led to a change in the way initial assessments are organised.
