This leaflet is designed for clients and families who use our service and seeks to explain how our service works.
What is CASEE?
The Communication Aid Service East of England (CASEE) is a specialist team which works with your local speech and language therapist (SLT) to carry out specialist assessments for communication systems. The outcome of this assessment may be a high-tech (computer) device or may be advice as to different low-tech (paper-based) systems that you can use. If the outcome of assessment is a low-tech system, advice will be given; it will be the responsibility of your local SLT to implement with you and your family.
A high-tech communication aid is a computer which you can use to support your speech, or to use instead of speech.
Example high tech devices that may be provided:
How do I access CASEE?
You can speak to your local SLT to see if they feel you would benefit from a referral to CASEE. Your local SLT will understand the criteria set for access to our service and can discuss this with you.
The CASEE team is made up of these professionals:
1. What should I expect on a first visit?
This appointment will take place at your home, residential care setting or your school. The CASEE team will invite your local therapist to attend the appointment. Please invite anyone else you would like to attend, such as your family, carers, or teachers.
During the initial appointment we will:
- talk to you, to people who support you and to your therapists about your communication
- look at the communication systems you use
- ask you to trial different types of communication equipment
Together, we can decide if any of the equipment is useful.
What happens next?
If we have recommended you trial some equipment we:
- will order the chosen equipment, ready for the next appointment
- may ask you to fill out some forms to tell us what words to put on your device
- will book another appointment to deliver equipment to your home
If we agree the equipment is not useful for you, we will give you advice, and your local SLT will continue to support you with your communication needs.
Local therapy team responsibilities
- to visit or contact you to check your communication needs have not changed
- to contact CASEE if you need a review
- to support you if technical issues arise and to help contact CASEE if further help is needed
Please make sure you have your:
- glasses
- hearing aids
- any communication aids you use (such as communication boards, alphabet chart, any different chairs you sit in)
Client and family responsibilities
- to enable you to use the communication equipment in line with the guidelines we have given you
- to contact your SLT if you don’t want to or are not able to use the device any more
- to tell your SLT if there are any technical issues
CASEE responsibilities
- to carry out an annual safety check of any equipment provided
- to resolve technical issues
- to carry out repair and maintenance as necessary
- to carry out further assessment if your needs change when advised by your local SLT
Contacts/further information
Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telephone number: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASEE: Communication Aid Service East of England: 01223 349401
We are smoke-free
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Other formats
Help accessing this information in other formats is available. To find out more about the services we provide, please visit our patient information help page (see link below) or telephone 01223 256998. www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/accessible-information/
Contact us
Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Hills Road, Cambridge
CB2 0QQ
Telephone +44 (0)1223 245151
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/contact-enquiries/