Therapies

We are dedicated to our patients and passionate about making people feel better. Every year, thousands of patients benefit from the services that we offer.

Our high quality services such as speech and language and occupational therapy promote independence and help us to achieve our mission of ‘bringing excellence to life’.

By working alongside and supporting medical staff we provide the following services at our hospitals and within local communities:

• Nutrition and dietetics for adults
• Occupational therapy and physiotherapy
• Speech and language therapies
• Children’s therapy
• Intercare services
• Stroke rehabilitation

Nutrition and dietetics for adults

Nutrition and dietetic support is provided to patients being treated at our hospitals and also to residents of the local community in Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Our dieticians advise individuals and groups on how to make dietary changes, usually required as a result of a medical condition such as diabetes, renal failure, cancer or gastrointestinal conditions. They also advise and teach other colleagues and health care professionals about specific aspects of diet, preventing and treating malnutrition and promoting healthy eating.

Find out more about our diabetes service here.

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy

Our specialist team compromise of both occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

We work with people of every age group to enhance their level of independent functioning in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure and help them to fulfill their potential for living independently in the community. Assessment and treatment of physical, psychosocial and cognitive dysfunctions is provided to enable patients to maximise their functional abilities and quality of life in their own environments. We also provide specialist equipment and adaptations for the home, wheelchairs and special seating, splinting and orthotics, and help with community integration and resettlement.

Inpatient services are provided at St Bartholomew’s, Mile End and The Royal London. We provide wards for oncology and cardiothoracic patients with therapy needs following a heart attack, and medical respiratory patients including those with cystic fibrosis.

We run a number of outpatient clinics at our hospitals. We treat patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, those patients with therapy needs post breast cancer and run a cancer survivorship group. There is a an outpatient service for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries including those requiring hand therapy as well as an outpatient service for patients with neurological conditions and a women’s health service.

Our community stroke team and the early supported discharge team for stroke are based at Mile End Hospital.

Speech and language therapy

We provide diagnostic assessment and therapeutic input to adults with speech, language, communication and/or swallowing problems. This may be the result of medical conditions such as stroke, head and neck cancer (and other cancers), head injury, trauma, neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease and many other progressive neurological diseases, dementia and HIV.

Videofluoroscopy and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) given to patients on site for instrumental assessment of swallowing. We receive referrals from the wards, medical teams and allied health professional colleagues.

The outpatient service for head and neck patients and voice (ENT) is predominantly based at St Bartholomew’s. Patients requiring out of hospital follow-up after head and neck surgery at The Royal London Hospital, and who live locally, will be seen for ongoing therapy and management. This includes people with head and neck cancer, laryngectomy and voice disorder.

The CReST (Community rehabilitation team) offer a service for people with long term neurological conditions and also provide some rapid intervention following discharge. The team works closely with our inpatient services.

We also provide community services which are based at Mile End, work with the Community Stroke Team (CST) and cover early supported discharge and rehabilitation following stroke.

Children’s therapy

We offer our young patients:

• nutrition and dietetics support
• speech and language therapy
• physiotherapy

We have dieticians and speech and language therapist, who provide support to the special care baby units and the paediatric ward. The dieticians work in specialised clinics and provide a home enteral feeding service to children living in our local communities.

We provide an inpatient and outpatient service for children between the ages of 0 and 19 years. Our team works alongside consultants in many specialist clinics, such as plastic surgery, orthopaedics, diabetes and videofluroscopy. In some areas we work as a multi-disciplinary team. Our physiotherapists provide 24 hour care to children with respiratory problems through an on-call service at night time and on weekends. A dietician provides a home enteral feeding service to children living in Tower Hamlets.

Our team includes Physiotherapists, a Dietician and a part time Speech and Language therapist. We provide an inpatient and outpatient service to the Special Care Baby Unit and the paediatric ward, and work in specialised clinics. The Dietician provides a home enteral feeding service to children living in.

Children’s therapy is offered at Newham, The Royal London and Whipps Cross.

Intercare services

Intercare services can be described as a 'bridge' between hospital and home. It is a rehabilitation service that aims to help people regain the best possible level of independence following illness by hospitalisation or to avoid an unnecessary hospital admission. This can be provided within a person’s own home or in an inpatient unit.

Inpatient units are for people who cannot have rehabilitation in their own home and who would usually need a short period of rehabilitation of between two to six weeks. This is provided by a multi-disciplinary team in three locations:

• George Mason Lodge Intermediate Care Unit
• Highams Court, and
• Ainslie Rehabilitation Unit

Stroke rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation applies to those patients who have had a primary diagnosis of stroke, are medically stable and showing potential for rehabilitation.

The Whipps Cross community stroke rehabilitation team provide rehabilitation in people's own homes for up to 12 weeks after discharge from hospital.

To refer patients to our therapy services please either use Choose and Book or contact our services using the details below.

For referrals to Mile End Hospital

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy outpatient musculoskeletal services

Referrals can be made by contacting us below:

Tel: 020 8223 8274/5/6
Fax: 020 8223 8279

Speech and language therapy

Inpatient referrals, Tel: 0208 223 43734
CReST enquiries and information about how to refer, Tel: 0208 223 8841 (referral hub for community services 0208 223 8871 
Community stroke team enquiries: 0208 121 4270

For referrals to Newham University Hospital

Nutrition and dietetics

Please use our referral forms for referring to this service. Referral forms can be found by visiting our dedicated GP section for referrals. Completed forms should be sent to:

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Newham University Hospital 
Glen Road, 
Plaistow
London, E13 8SL

Speech and language therapy

Voice patients only 
GPs can make written referrals, via fax, directly to the adult service. Patients will require an ENT examination before speech and language therapy can commence. Please note that any patient with a suspected laryngeal pathology must be examined by an ENT specialist before referral to us.

Outpatients fax: 0207 363 9016 
Inpatient referrals are to be made by the treating medical team via EPR or tel: 0208 363 8158.

Please note: referrals for community patients with acquired neurological disorders in the Newham area are to be made to NHS East London speech and language therapy team.

For referrals to The Royal London Hospital

Nutrition and dietetics

Local GPs can refer into the outpatient dietetic service by using a referral form or a letter giving the relevant patient details and medical information.

Referral forms can be found by visiting our dedicated GP section for referrals.

Patients living in Tower Hamlets who require weight reducing advice should be referred in to the ‘My Weigh’ programme. Clients outside of this area should be referred to their local weight reduction service.

Speech and language therapy

GPs can make direct written referrals to this service for adults with dysfluency or acquired neurological disorders. These should be sent to:

Head of Service
Speech and Language Therapy department
Level 2 Outpatient Therapies 
The Royal London Hospital
Whitechapel 
London, E1 1BB

Please note: any patient with a suspected laryngeal pathology must be examined by an ENT specialist before referral to speech and language therapy.

For referrals to St Bartholomew’s Hospital

GP referrals are not accepted for St Bartholomew’s.

Speech and language therapy services

We accept referrals from medical and dental practitioners and other healthcare professionals. Referrals for should be in writing (using the appropriate department referral form) or by typed letter. We also accept phone referrals from patients, families or carers.

GPs can make direct written referrals to this service for adults with dysfluency or acquired neurological disorders. These should be sent to:

Head of Service, 
Speech and Language Therapy department
Level 2 Outpatient Therapies 
The Royal London Hospital
Whitechapel
London, E1 1BB

Please note: any patient with a suspected laryngeal pathology must be examined by an ENT specialist before referral to Speech and Language Therapy.

For all sites

Children's therapy

Children’s therapy services (nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy)
For all of our sites referrals for all children’s therapy services need to be made in writing to:

Di Coggings, Head of Children’s Therapy 
Tel: 020 3594 1531
Email: di.coggins@bartshealth.nhs.uk