Local Speech and Language Therapist Wins Innovation Award

Award winning speech therapist Daniel Hunter

Daniel Hunter a Speech and Language Therapist for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust has won the prestigious Sternberg Award for Clinical Innovation 2007.

This award will be added to Daniel’s impressive bank of awards that include; Speech and Language Therapist of the Year and an NHS Award that he has achieved over the past year for his work helping children who stammer.

Judges were impressed by the unique guidance Daniel devised to help therapists identify and overcome stammering children under 5 years old.

Nominated by the British Stammering Association and his fellow colleagues Daniel was delighted when he heard he had won. He said: “I was surprised and excited when I heard. As the lead trainer on the ‘Every Childs Chance at Fluency’ Campaign I am really pleased that the award raises awareness to some of the excellent work the British Stammering Association is doing.”

Daniel has been busy recently touring the country delivering training to other health trusts in his new model of work to help children who stammer. Over 200 therapists across the country have now been trained and Daniel hopes his work will be successful in helping therapists detect stammering at the earliest opportunity and treating it effectively. He added: “Early referral is of paramount importance. We should never assume that children will grow out of stammering. If we deal with stammering effectively by offering the child and their parents the right help and support then most children will become fluent speakers.”

Daniel has been invited to attend a special awards ceremony in London on 10 October 2007 to receive his award but unfortunately he will not be able to attend. Daniel is hoping to conquer his own personal challenge in October scaling new heights by climbing Mount Cook in New Zealand.