Dysphagia - healthcare professionals

This page is dedicated to healthcare professionals who support patients with dysphagia.

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia describes eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in infants, children and adults.

People with dysphagia often have other health conditions that they are being treated for, which can affect their eating, drinking and swallowing abilities (RCSLT 2023)

Swallow Aware campaign

The Swallow Aware Campaign seeks to adopt a regional approach to -

1. Raise awareness of:

  • the signs and symptoms of dysphagia
  • the risks associated with dysphagia
  • how and when to get a referral for specialist swallowing assessment by Speech and Language Therapy
  • how to support someone living with dysphagia

2. Listen to understand the lived experience of people living with dysphagia and their families / carers and engage them in the work taken forward as part of the Swallow Aware campaign.  This will include building relationship with community and voluntary sector organisations.

3. Working in partnership with the hospitality industry to provide information to restaurants / bars and other food and drink outlets on how to help support people living with dysphagia.

Hospitality (Eating out)

Swallow aware factsheet - this factsheet aims to improve the experience for customers with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) by providing top tips for hospitality

Dysphagia awareness wallet card - A wallet card has been produced for people living with dysphagia to use when they are eating out in restaurants, cafes and bars.  The wallet card can be requested from your Speech and Language Therapist or by contacting dysphagiani@hscni.net

Training

There are two levels of swallow awareness (dysphagia) training for staff.  

  • Training for staff NOT involved in food preparation, serving food or assisting people to eat and drink.
  • Training module for staff who are directly involved in the care of people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

Both levels of training are available to access on the Learn HSCNI Platform LearnHSCNI | Sign in

 

Theme of the month

January 2025 - Signs & Symptoms of Dysphagia and Signposting Advice
Dysphagia NI January - Signs & Symptoms of Dysphagia and Signposting Advice

December 2024 - High risk foods and Christmas
Dysphagia NI December - High Risk Foods and Christmas

November 2024 - Malnutrition
Dysphagia NI November - Malnutrition & Dysphagia

October 2024 – Get connected
Dysphagia NI October Theme of the Month - Get Connected  

September 2024 – Oral care
Dysphagia NI September Theme of the Month - Oral care advice for those caring for adults with dysphagia

August 2024 - Hydration
Dysphagia NI August 2024 - Theme of the Month - Hydration advice for those caring for a person with dysphagia

July 2024 - Picnic and BBQ season
Summertime is also barbecue season (weather permitted!), therefore our first theme will be based around picnic and barbecue ideas/alternatives.  Dysphagia NI July 2024 - Theme of the Month

 

Signs symptoms and advice

Nutrition and hydration

Staying hydrated with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (poster)

Staying hydrated with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties leaflet (A4 folded to A5)

Nutritional guidelines and menu checklist for residential and nursing homes

 

Food and drink modifications

IDDSI - IDDSI Framework

Thickening drinks for people with swallowing difficulties

A guide to high risk foods for people with dysphagia

Thickened fluids SLT briefing

Medications

Finding your Medicines Hard to Swallow? Swallow aware

NI formulary website resource PHA Swallow Aware (infographic 3 poster)

NI Formulary Swallowing difficulties and thickening agents

Mealtimes matter framework

Mealtimes Matter is a regionally agreed framework to maximise service user safety and ensure a high-quality experience always occurs at every meal, drink and snack time.

Oral care

Oral hygiene advice for people with swallowing difficulties

Mouth care awareness video for people who care for adults with dysphagia

Safety advice and incident reporting

End of life care

Swallowing information for end of life care

Dysphagia NI newsletters

Newsletters

A regionally run news and information resource.

Brand guidelines and logos

Logos

The Swallow Aware logo is available to download below as a full colour jpg file, a black png version and a while (reverse out) png version. EPS files for use by designers and printers are also attached in a zip file below. Please consult the Brand guidelines below to ensure proper application when using the logos and contact the PHA if unsure of application.

Swallow Aware logo black.png (591×350)

Swallow Aware logo colour.jpg (591×350)

Swallow Aware logo white.png (591×350)

Swallow Aware logos EPS

Swallow Aware brand guidelines

Roles and responsibilities

Roles & responsibilities booklet
Your role and responsibility in supporting the safety of people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties

Involving your service users

Dysphagia NI service user involvement

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