In this section
Click on the links below to find out more about our team.
Dietetics on the North West Ventilation Unit
During an initial assessment, we will gather an understanding of what you normally eat and drink at home and whether this has changed as a result of your illness. Breathing difficulties can sometimes make eating and drinking harder. Working closely with the Physiotherapists and Specialist Nurses, we tailor eating and drinking to fit around your ventilation needs.
Many of the patients we see on the unit have degenerative conditions, which can impact on their ability to swallow food and drink safely. We work closely with Speech and Language Therapists, who advise on the safest dietary consistencies.
If swallowing becomes more difficult, some of our patients may require a long term feeding tube to be inserted directly into their stomach (also known as a PEG tube) to help them meet their nutritional needs. The Dietitian and Speech and Language Therapist can discuss this in detail with you. For other patients, such as those who have been on a critical care unit, we promote good nutrition to help your recovery.
We have very close links with Community Dietitians and can refer you to local service if required.
You can find more information about the work of the Dietician at:
Occupational Therapy on the North West Ventilation Unit
Occupational Therapists are qualified health care professionals trained in both physical and mental health and wellbeing.
If you think of all of the things you want or need to do during a typical day, if your illness or disability means that you struggle with these things then an Occupational Therapist may be able to help you get the most out of life.
We believe that what you do affects how you feel, on the ward we offer activities to support your wellbeing whilst with us. We’ll meet with you on the ward to understand how you normally manage at home; if you highlight any problems we can assess and recommend equipment or suggest new ways of doing things and signpost you to services if that’s what you need. We will work with you to make sure your discharge from hospital is as safe as possible, this might include helping you to rehabilitate after a period of illness or ensuring you have the help and support you need to stay as well as possible in the community.
If you are at home and think that an Occupational Therapist may be able to help you please get in touch with the North West Ventilation Unit on 0161 291 6341 or if you’re coming on to the ward we look forward to meeting you.
The Occupational Therapy team is made up of the following staff members:
Louise Hesketh – Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist
Sam Onslow – Occupational Therapy Assistant
Physiotherapy on the North West Ventilation Unit
During your inpatient stay you’ll meet members of the Physiotherapy team. We have a number of roles which include assessing your breathing and blood gases, setting you up on to a ventilator and training you and your carers on how to use this. If you have difficulty clearing phlegm off your chest, we will assess and provide you with a chest clearance programme. Working closely with the Occupational Therapy and ward based Nursing teams, we play a big part in helping to promote your physical independence, exercise tolerance and mobility whilst on the unit and can assess and provide you with walking aids if required.
As a team of Specialist Physiotherapists, we assess patients who have weak cough strength, often as a result of a neurological condition such as Motor Neurone Disease. This can take place in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. We provide patients with advice, education and devices to help improve their ability to cough and clear phlegm from their lungs. These may include the cough assist or lung volume recruitment bag.
In the outpatient and community settings we assess your breathing and blood gases and manage your ventilation and secretion clearance needs. Our aim is to keep you well at home.
Whether you’re in hospital or at home, we work closely with the Specialist Nursing team and other healthcare professionals in the service. We are members of the national SiLVaH (Specialists in Long Term Ventilation at Home) network and have close links with the regional Neurology teams at Salford Royal Hospital.
The Specialist Physiotherapy team is made up of the following members:
David Derry – Lead Specialist Physiotherapist
Emma Flowers – Senior Specialist Physiotherapist
Shelley Holme – Senior Specialist Physiotherapist
Katy Wilman – Senior Specialist Physiotherapist
Charlotte Cohen – Specialist Physiotherapist
Kate Hall – Specialist Physiotherapist
Sian Llewelyn – Specialist Physiotherapist
Jemma Price – Specialist Physiotherapist
Jo Reason – Specialist Physiotherapist
Natalie Wilkinson – Specialist Physiotherapist
Hayley Smith – Physiotherapy Assistant
We also have a number of qualified Physiotherapists who rotate on to the North West Ventilation Unit as part of their post registration training and student Physiotherapists from local universities who regularly complete their clinical education placements with us.
You can contact the Specialist Physiotherapy team on 0161 291 6357.
Psychology on the North West Ventilation Unit
This may involve people having difficulties with:
- Living with or adjusting to their long-term breathing difficulties
- The impact of coping with their difficulties on their mental wellbeing
- Specific anxiety or phobia associated with their breathing difficulties (e.g. anxiety associated with using the ventilator or wearing the mask)
We work in both inpatient and outpatient settings, supporting individuals during their hospital admission to the North West Ventilation Unit and also supporting individuals in our outpatient clinics. Our work involves delivering psychological assessment, formulation and interventions according to the individual’s psychological needs. We are able to draw on a range of psychological approaches to work with you effectively. We work closely with our multi-disciplinary colleagues in the wider North West Ventilation Unit team to ensure you receive holistic care.
There are three part time Clinical Psychologists in our team and we have all undertaken extensive specialist training and are registered with the Heath and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
Dr. Gemma Paszek (Principal Clinical Psychologist)
Dr. Kim Towey-Swift (Clinical Psychologist)
Dr. Ho Yin Chan (Clinical Psychologist)
If you think you would benefit from working with us, please discuss this with any member of the North West Ventilation Service team. After receiving a referral, we will make contact with you to arrange an initial assessment. Please note that you can only access our service if you are under the care of the North West Ventilation Service.
Specialist Nursing on the North West Ventilation Unit
Our role is to assess your breathing and blood gases, assist you with your ventilation regime and adjust your treatment as required. We provide specialist nursing support for patients throughout the disease process; this may include supporting applications for CHC, providing training and education for carers and referring patients to appropriate services as required. We offer advice on symptom management, and if required, we provide extended specialist End of Life care whilst working closely with community teams. We can provide patients with advice about all aspects of care in relation to your treatment field and this includes helping patients formulate Advanced Care Plans and Advanced Directives to Refuse Treatment.
We work closely with the Specialist Physiotherapy team and other healthcare professionals in our Service to ensure you are well cared for, the aim of which is to ensure you and your family/carers are supported in relation to your ventilation regime. We are members of the national SiLVaH (Specialists in Long Term Ventilation at Home) network and work closely with the MNDa and other specialist centres.
The Specialist Nursing team is made up of the following members:
Debbie Freeman – Lead Nurse
Debbie McCann – Lead Nurse
Kelly Sharman – Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist
Aysher Griffiths – Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist
Yen Mon Tsang – Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nicola Howarth – Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist
Joshua Hilton – Clinical Nurse Specialist
Sanet Crisp – Clinical Nurse Specialist
Hannah Olenjik-Foulgar – Clinical Nurse Specialist
Ellie Walker – Clinical Nurse Specialist
You can contact the Specialist Nursing team on 0161 291 6357.
Speech and Language Therapy on the North West Ventilation Unit
Speech and Language Therapists work closely with the dietitians, who are interested in optimising nutrition. Some patients may need extra support on top of oral intake (eating and drinking), such as oral supplements or tube feeding due to their swallowing difficulties or weight loss. Patients can be seen in a joint nutrition clinic with a Speech and Language Therapist, Dietitian and Occupational Therapist to discuss and provide information on nutrition and if appropriate, tube feeding. We also work closely with the Physiotherapy, Nursing and Medical teams, to support patients to find the most effective way to manage secretions and to improve chest clearance for patients who have a weak cough, secondary to an underlying medical condition.
Speech and Language Therapists also assess and manage communication difficulties. We might explore other ways of communicating, such as the use of smart phones, tablets or computers, for patients whose speech has changed as a result of their underlying medical condition. We aim to support patients on the North West Ventilation Unit and can refer into specialist services such as the ACE centre if required https://acecentre.org.uk/.
If patients need ongoing support at home, we can organise for their local community SALT team to continue with their care.
The SALT team on the North West Ventilation Unit can be contacted on 0161 291 2864.