Ampcare

Ampcare’s Effective Swallowing Protocol (ESP) is a new treatment that combines electrical stimulation with specially selected resistance exercises to help rehabilitate the swallow function to help patients swallow safely. The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) team in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH) NHS Foundation Trust were interested in evaluating this new treatment approach to see whether it might be helpful to patients in the UK via adoption by the NHS. Funding was secured in order to undertake a pilot study comparing Ampcare’s ESP against usual dysphagia treatment for 30 stroke patients.

At follow-up, one month after the end of treatment, 100% of the Ampcare ESP patients reported improved swallow-related quality of life (i.e. SWAL-QOL Survey), compared to 42% of the patients who had received usual dysphagia care.

As a result of the evidence from the pilot trial, SLT professionals were keen to have Ampcare ESP as a treatment option. Following training days in October 2016 and July 2017 we are pleased to announce that the technology is now launched in the UK.