Last year, Dr. Firle Beckley was approached by the innovative Speech and Language Therapy Stroke Service at Leeds NHS Teaching Hospitals with a big challenge:
Can we better implement Communication Partner Training (CPT) on acute wards? 🤔
We know conversation is life’s glue – it’s how we share ideas, opinions, and yes, even a little gossip (see Dunbar’s Gossip Theory 2004). But doing CPT in the fast-paced, clinical environment of an acute ward isn’t easy (see Shrubshole et al., 2022). From patient expectations to the emotional challenges of using video feedback post-stroke, the hurdles are real.
But here’s where we’re turning challenges into opportunities:
Lemonade from Lemons Nikki Hafter has teamed up with Esther Amis-Hughes at Leeds Museums and Galleries to spark fun conversation in this hyper-medicalised setting using – museum object boxes 🏺✨.
We are piloting a mini CPT programme with Leeds NHS Teaching Hospital where patients and families can explore genuine historical objects right at their bedside. These objects are unlocking new ways to connect, share stories, and practice key conversation skills in a safe, supportive setting.
Our ‘mini’ CPT pilot fuses museum object boxes together with principles from the Better Conversations approach to CPT in the acute setting.
🎯We ran a workshop to co-design these session with Leeds NHS SLTs, where they also got the opportunity to experience using the museum object box themselves to stimulate conversation.
We’re beyond excited to see how these sessions evolve and can’t wait to share the results with you all! 🙌
Let’s keep building connections, one conversation at a time. 💬💛
#StrokeRecovery #SpeechTherapy #InnovationInHealthcare #BetterConversations