In 2011/12 Diana and Jo (Directors) were managing speech and language therapy services in neighbouring Trusts in the West Midlands… and then, after one restructure too far, they weren’t …..
It was a time of considerable upheaval: ‘re-configuration’ of services was happening across the NHS and economy measures produced swathes of redundancies. Jo was first to walk the plank and by the time Diana finally received her marching orders towards the end of June in 2012, Jo was already working as a locum in Birmingham.
However, in the middle of difficulty often lies opportunity.
This year marks a decade post those first rather dark and demoralising days. Soundswell have been offering speech and language therapy solutions now for 10 years – years of enormous change (not over yet), of highs and lows and fun and fulfilment. 10 years of meeting new people, staff in schools and settings, parents, therapists and hundreds and hundreds of children.
Years during which we have used the skills and knowledge gathered through a combined total of 60 + years’ service in the public sector to go with the ideas we know work, be able to balance the books and really make a difference to children and families.
We are enormously grateful to the schools and settings who ‘gave us a chance’ in the early days and for the amazing team around us – many of whom have been delivering services under the Soundswell banner now for 7 or 8 years.
Happy birthday – and here’s to the next 10 years!
