Steve Brine attended Giving Voice 2011 at Winchester hospital on Thursday 22nd September, an event dedicated to promoting speech therapy.
Visiting with his wife Susie, herself a speech therapist, Steve listened to a short presentation from the adult speech therapy manager, before taking some time to chat to guests, including consultants, eduacation representatives and children and adults who receive speech therapy services.
Steve said: "I really like the Giving Voice campaign because it is a positive attempt to raise the profile and value of speech and language therapy services at this challenging financial time for the NHS. If we are serious about giving every child the best start in life, we have to be serious about ensuring communication problems are picked up when our children enter the primary school system. SLT services are literally lifesaving in this regard and we should always remember that.
"Being married to a speech therapist myself, I of course could never forget that but we have to make sure policy makers at all levels understand this and fight for first-class SLT services across the adult and paediatric spectrum. My work though the SLT all-party group in Parliament is vital in this regard and I look forward to telling Ministers about the superb SLT services we have in this part of Hampshire and the wholly positive 'Giving Voice' event we had here today."
Pictured; Steve joins guests at Giving Voice 2011, at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, and (left) his written pledge
More information...
Find out more at http://www.givingvoice.org