One of the key components of the Speech and Language Therapist’s (SLT) role is to identify and manage the factors that may put a patient at risk of aspiration
 ensuring that the patient can safely meet their nutrition and hydration requirements. 
The SLT therefore plays a key role within the tracheostomy team, where the presence of the tracheostomy tube alone can impact significantly on a patient’s ability to swallow safely, regardless of any other additional factors that may also be affecting  their swallow.