Trachy Talk

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: May 2026 (S7, Ep5) This months papers cover: Assessing swallowing with electronic stethoscopes Can Pro-BNP influence timing of tracheostomy? Weaning programs LLMs for paediatric tracheostomy Training and testing LLMs for tracheostomy care Link to supporting PDF: https://tracheostomy.org.uk/Podcast-Resources The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is commi...

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: April 2026 (S7, Ep4) This months papers cover: Clinical Position Statement of the Union of European Phoniatricians (UEP) Swallowing Committee: Management of Dysphagia in Patients with Tracheostomy: Impact of Tracheostomy on Dysphagia in Children Brendan is joined by SLT legend Prof Sarah Wallace to discuss the UEP position statement and what this means for bedside c...

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: March 2026 (S7, Ep3.2) Part 2 This months papers cover: • Next Generation Sequencing of Tracheal Aspirates • Robotic PDT • Bronchoscopy and PDT • Staff roles and view of PDT • Machine learning limitations for predicting PDT Brendan is joined by Dr James Orr to explain all about sequencing techniques to identify bacterial fragments and what that means for clinical ca...

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: March 2026 (S7, Ep3.1) Part 1 This months papers cover: • Next Generation Sequencing of Tracheal Aspirates • Robotic PDT • Bronchoscopy and PDT • Staff roles and view of PDT • Machine learning limitations for predicting PDT Brendan is joined by Dr James Orr to explain all about sequencing techniques to identify bacterial fragments and what that means for clinical ca...

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: Feb 2026 (S7, Ep1) This months papers cover: First— a huge global survey from the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative showed the biggest problems in trach care aren’t always technical. They’re education, staffing, access, and caregiver support. Second — fasting before percutaneous tracheostomy. A Turkish ICU study found longer fasting did not reduce aspiration risk, b...

NTSP Literature Review Podcast: June 2025 (S7, Ep1) This months papers cover:  - Open surgical tracheostomy and asprin  - Out-of-pocket costs and potential surprise bills for tracheostomy  - Impact of tracheostomy follow-up care  - Effectiveness of VR training Link to supporting PDF: https://tracheostomy.org.uk/Podcast-Resources The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is committed to pr...

The NTSP team meet up before receiving the MacLeod McLaren Patient Safety Medal from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. We cover the origins of the NTSP and Global Tracheostomy Collaborative, the patient perspective, and the different roles of the member of the MDT. You can read more about the award on the NTSP website via the link below. https://tracheostomy.org.uk/news/ntsp-wins-prestig...

This Special Episode is a fascinating interview with Shevonne, the inspirational mum of Henry. This is Part 2 of 4 episodes.  Brendan and Shevonne discuss the journey that her family have been on with their little boy who has had a tracheostomy from a young age. Thanks to the tenacity and resilience of Shevonne and her family, Henry leads an incredibly active life, despite needing to take a ventil...

Helen is a community-based SLT who looks after children with complex needs, including children with tracheostomies. Helen works at the Vale Federation- a group of special schools in Aylesbury in the UK.  Brendan and Helen discuss practical advice of where parents should start in their efforts to find local support once they're home from hospital with a young child who will have on going compl...

The NTSP team meet up before receiving the MacLeod McLaren Patient Safety Medal from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. We cover the origins of the NTSP and Global Tracheostomy Collaborative, the patient perspective, and the different roles of the member of the MDT. You can read more about the award on the NTSP website via the link below. https://tracheostomy.org.uk/news/ntsp-wins-prestig...

This Special Episode is a fascinating interview with Shevonne, the inspirational mum of Henry. This is Part 4 of 4 episodes.  Brendan and Shevonne discuss the journey that her family have been on with their little boy who has had a tracheostomy from a young age. Thanks to the tenacity and resilience of Shevonne and her family, Henry leads an incredibly active life, despite needing to take a ventil...

This Special Episode is a fascinating interview with Shevonne, the inspirational mum of Henry. This is Part 3 of 4 episodes.  Brendan and Shevonne discuss the journey that her family have been on with their little boy who has had a tracheostomy from a young age. Thanks to the tenacity and resilience of Shevonne and her family, Henry leads an incredibly active life, despite needing to take a ventil...

This Special Episode is a fascinating interview with Shevonne, the inspirational mum of Henry. This is Part 1 of 4 episodes.  Brendan and Shevonne discuss the journey that her family have been on with their little boy who has had a tracheostomy from a young age. Thanks to the tenacity and resilience of Shevonne and her family, Henry leads an incredibly active life, despite needing to take a ventil...

Stephen Warrillow is Assistant Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a senior Intensivist in the city. Stephen has been president of the Australia & New Zealand Intensive Care Society and heavily involved in the GTC since its inception. Stephen spoke about how services were returning to normal at the 6th International Tracheostomy Symposium, held in Manchester UK, in October...

Prue Gregson is an SLP who manages the TRAMS Service at Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia. Prue is also leading the team planning (and running) the 10th International Tracheostomy Symposium held in October 2026 in Melbourne. Prue gives us a sneak preview of what to expect at ITS10 and how to get invovled!  The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is committed to providing education, in...

Gonzalo Hernández is an intensive care doctor working in Toledo, Spain. Gonzalo published some high profile work in the pandemic about how to improve care and he spoke about "Lessons from Spain" at the 6th International Tracheostomy Symposium, held in Manchester UK, in October 2021. This presentation is an extract from that meeting. The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is c...

The team were in India in February 2026 and had the privelege to meet patients, families and staff who were working to improve tracheostomy care. This special interview is a conversation between Prof Brendan McGrath and Prof Sarah Wallace from the NTSP, reflecting on their time in India. The team visited the Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai, and attended the National Tracheostomy Conference hosted by...

Tracy is Professor of Healthcare & Implementation Science in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, Northumbria University, UK. Tracy’s research focuses on how we can understand and support the implementation of complex interventions in health, care and wellbeing. Tracy is known for her work in implementation science, most notably Normalization Process Theory (NPT), of which she is...

Tim Cook is a consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Royal United Hospital Bath and a Professor at the University of Bristol, UK. Tim is an international expert in airway management and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Tim wrote widely on the risks to staff and developed guideliens to keep staff and patients safe. Tim spoke at the 6th International Tracheostomy Symposium, held in Manche...

Professor Leandros (Leo) Vassiliou, is a head neck reconstructive surgeon with a background in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, practising in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, in Manchester UK. He is a visiting Professor in the Medical School of the University of Greater Manchester. Leo spoke about the impact the pandemic had on head and neck services at the 6th International Tracheosto...

Paul Wilson is Professor at The University of Manchester,  Co-Director of the NIHR Greater Manchester Rapid Service Evaluation (REVAL), and Co-Editor in Chief of Implementation Science - the leading international journal for implementation research. Paul spoke about QI at the 6th International Tracheostomy Symposium, held in Manchester UK, in October 2021. This presentation is an extract from that...

Mr Tony Jacob is an ENT Surgeon from London who stepped up to lead the COVID-Trach project in the UK at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Tony spoke about his work at the 6th International Tracheostomy Symposium, held in Manchester UK, in October 2021. This interview is an extract from that meeting. The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is committed to providing education, informati...

This Special Interview is a conversation with Mr Sam Rigby, Global Tracheostomy Lead for the Medical Device company Atos-Medical. Sam has a healthcare background and talks about his passion for his role supporting education and high quality tracheostomy care from the perspective of a global device manufacturer. The UK National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) is committed to providing education,...

The team were in India in February 2026 and had the privelege to meet patients, families and staff who were working to improve tracheostomy care. This special interview is a conversation between Prof Brendan McGrath and Prof Sarah Wallace from the NTSP, reflecting on their time in India. The team visited the Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai, and attended the National Tracheostomy Conference hosted by...

The team were in India in February 2026 and had the privelege to meet patients, families and staff who were working to improve tracheostomy care. This special interview is a conversation between Prof Brendan McGrath and Prof Sarah Wallace from the NTSP, reflecting on their time in India. The team visited the Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai, and attended the National Tracheostomy Conference hosted by...