When a patient has a tracheostomy in place, there is no air passing over the vocal cords and therefore the patient will have no voice, which can cause the patient difficulty in communicating. There are lots of simple strategies that can be used with these patients to optimise their communication, including a pen and piece of paper, a whiteboard and marker, an ABC chart and there are loads of apps available for non-verbal communication which can make a big difference to the patient’s overall ability to communicate.

If you have any questions, contact your local speech and language therapists who will be able to support you to maximise your patient’s communication.