Healthwatch Sunderland Nominate a Star

We'd like to say a huge well done to Claire Atherton from SALT, who has been nominated for Sunderland Healthwatch nominate a star. 

Her fantastic nomination from the patient's mum is below:

"My daughter was referred to speech and language therapy in 2020 and we were assigned Claire to be our therapist. We couldn’t have been luckier. My daughter has never been the easiest little girl to work with sometimes refusing to do anything in sessions but stare. When other therapists (more than one) have discharged my daughter because they haven’t quite known what to do with her because she is often described as a complex case, Claire has never given up. 

From that first appointment she has never lost hope or patience that my daughter will succeed with her speech sessions. Even now we have some bad sessions where my daughter won’t do as much of what is asked but thanks to Claires patience the good outweigh the not so good. She takes the time to get to know my family not just my daughter inviting my older son to sessions which has massively helped my daughter in her confidence and opening up to Claire, and my son has now fell in love with her and her sessions too - so much so I’m the worst parent in the world if he has to go to school while we go to SALT. 

I have recently had feedback from Claire's visit to my daughter’s nursery where they said she couldn’t do enough and spent so much time there trying to help and my daughter loved it. We still aren’t there with my daughter’s speech and language out of SALT sessions but I have no doubt that with Claire's patience she is one day going to help her into some sort of communication that she feels happy with at least at home.

It’s not just the support she gives my daughter that makes her stand out though, a lot of the professionals we see have been amazing. Claire's support is there for me too through good times and bad. She’s always at the end of the phone. No matter how I feel walking into her room, I’m always laughing coming out. I have called her at my most down and deflated when I have been unfortunately left with no other professionals to turn to, and she has sat and heard my rants but also heard me beam when we are (hopefully) getting somewhere! She has taken part in my countdowns to paediatrician appointments which are far and few between, and always been interested in any updates from any other appointments we have been to which has been a lot lately.

Claire was more than willing to adjust her timetable to accompany me to a meeting at my daughter’s new school (which she starts in September) being someone who has seen every side to my daughter I thought it be important she has input, and she didn’t need asking twice. I feel so much better going to said meeting with Claire's support.

If anyone deserves recognition, I fully believe it should be Claire. I would have been very down and anxious not knowing where to turn had it not been for Claire being at the other end of the phone. She has saved me many times through our hard and our continuing uncertain undiagnosed times, as much as she has helped my daughter progress on her journey without probably even knowing. I’m sure she has felt my every emotion these past few weeks let alone the last two years, but she has never given up. The NHS needs a lot more people like her if they can find any!"