Lucy Stevens

Advanced Clinician Speech Language Therapist, Critical Care, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland, NZ

Lucy is an Advanced Clinician Speech Language Therapist working in Critical Care at Te Toka Tumai, Auckland. She trained in the UK and worked in two rotational posts at King’s College Hospital and The Royal Free in London prior to re-locating to Aotearoa 10 years ago.
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Lucy has a strong background working in Critical Care, Neurosurgery, Stroke, and Neurology. She has a passion for all things Tracheostomy, and a special interest in TBI. Lucy has a keen interest in education and sharing her knowledge and skills. During her time at Te Toka Tumai, Auckland, she has helped to develop the Speech Language Therapy service in Critical Care. Lucy is involved in local policy development, as well as national professional association Tracheostomy working groups.

Lucy lives on the wild west Coast of Auckland with her two young busy boys. She loves spending time surfing and enjoying beach life.

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“Don’t You Just Put People Nil By Mouth or On Thickened Fluids?” The Role of Speech and Language Therapy and All Things Tracheostomy 

“Don’t you just put people NBM or on thickened fluids?”. This is a common misconception and outdated view of what Speech- language Therapists (SLTs) can offer. We have the knowledge and skills to assess, manage and rehabilitate a range of communication and swallowing impairments that patients can experience following critical illness and trauma. We are core members of the multi-disciplinary team working with people who have a tracheostomy and there is increasing evidence that SLT intervention can improve patient outcomes. In this talk we will provide an overview of the role of SLT in tracheostomy and how we can positively impact patient care. We will explore specialist tools and techniques for tracheostomy intervention in the context of a patient journey; focusing on how we facilitate early assessment and rehabilitation.