25 May 2026
At the 2025 AH-TRIP Showcase, Senior Speech Pathologist Lauren Wright won the HTQ-sponsored Partnerships Award for creating an interprofessional speech pathology and dietetics assistant model for therapeutic mealtimes. Here she explains its practical impact and how the pilot became permanent.
While Lauren began her career at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, she has been based at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) since 2021. This project was her first foray into clinician-led research.
“I’ve always been a clinician first, working with adult patients on their recovery journey,” Lauren says. “Hospital patients with communication deficits following a significant injury need extra time and support to complete everyday tasks, like meal ordering.
“We identified a gap between the work of speech pathologists and dietitians for patients with communication deficits,” Lauren explains. “We decided to trial a new role – the interprofessional clinical assistant (IPCA). This unique role combines meal ordering support with communication therapy for these patients, addressing nutritional needs and their ability to communicate choices, which neither practice could fully address on its own”
In 2022, a 3-month pilot showed the approach was feasible, but not sustainable, and the role ended. Lauren and her colleagues re-worked the delegation framework and developed training and resources to overcome the barriers.
“I tapped into AH-TRIP resources and funding from the Metro North Helix Support Hub Program to evaluate what we were doing,” Lauren explains.
“In 2025, we were ready to try again. Four speech pathologists were trained for the IPCA role, and 7 patients participated in the pilot.
“The results were positive,” Lauren says. “Patients liked having more time and support to order their meals. Speech pathologists and dietitians saw how professional collaboration streamlined care, including how the delegation pathway worked between professionals.
“We also measured the impact on patient autonomy and nutritional status.
“One patient couldn’t initially express his meal preferences, so decisions were made for him. By the end of the pilot, he was independently choosing his meals.”
The outcomes were so positive that the IPCA model has become business as usual at STARS for patients with communication deficits.
“Other hospital teams have shown an interest in the model, and we have shared our experience widely at conferences and through clinician networks,” Lauren says. “Of course, we still have scope to refine or expand the model, and we want to look at digital solutions.
“We are grateful to AH-TRIP, the Helix Support Hub Program, and HTQ for their support to evaluate how we can improve what we’re doing on the wards to improve outcomes for all.”
Lauren also plans to continue her research, buoyed by the success of this project and the supportive, collaborative team environment that made it possible.
HTQ sponsors the AH-TRIP Partnerships Award, recognising projects that have established or strengthened collaborations across sites, disciplines, services, institutes, or industry. For more information, see the AH-TRIP website.
The image shows the IPCA project team, from left to right: Jessica De Luchi, Rachel Levine, Lauren Wright, Jennifer Heller, Hayleigh Smith, and William Albertson.
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