Location:
The Occupational Therapy offices can be found in the old convent building at the back of the hospital. The department is currently awaiting the allocation of a treatment room downstairs in the main hospital.
Opening hours:
The service is available from 8.30am to 4pm Monday - Friday
Access to Service:
All referrals are accepted once signed by a doctor on the medical/surgical consultant’s team. Referrals to Occupational Therapy are generally for clients with a decline in functional performance due to falls, fractures, amputations, respiratory conditions, arthritis, neurological conditions, dementia, cardiac conditions, post surgery, terminal illness, and/or psychosocial conditions.
How to make an appointment:
The service is currently in-patient and is accessed by completing an Occupational Therapy referral card with the referring doctor’s signature. Referrals are seen within three days of receiving the referral or when the patient is medically stable.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical, mental and/or social conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life (BAOT, 2006)
Mission statement:
Our mission statement is to provide each client with appropriate assessment and treatment in a timely manner in order to maximise client’s functional ability, confidence and quality of life and to make links with appropriate community services so that client’s can feel supported by a seamless service.
We achieve this through thorough inpatient assessment and treatment, pre-discharge home assessments as appropriate, liaising with community occupational therapy colleagues and public health nursing, providing client/family education and training as required, ordering essential equipment and demonstrating safe fitting or installing as required and giving advise on home modifications and suitable grants for same.
We ensure that all staff attend continuing professional development and support student training so that the Occupational Therapy staff are best equipped to serve the community.
The Occupational Therapy service provided:
The Occupational Therapy department consists of the Occupational Therapy Manager, a staff grade Occupational Therapist and a half time Occupational Therapy assistant.
Currently the service is provided to the four bed acute stroke unit, two medical wards and two surgical wards.
Stroke patients are referred to the Occupational Therapy Department by the Consultant Geriatrician. The multidisciplinary team meets every Tuesday to discuss the clients’ current status and progress. The Occupational Therapists discusses the client’s functional performance, cognitive/ perceptual status and upper limb function. The multidisciplinary team plans a treatment programme, establishes the length of stay to implement treatment plans and makes referrals to community rehabilitation teams or community care services as appropriate.
The Occupational Therapy Departments also receives referrals from the Consultant Cardiologist, Consultant Gastroenterologist and two Surgeons. Referrals are also received for clients with cognitive impairment, respiratory conditions, falls, fractures and amputations.
What to expect from Occupational Therapy:
The role of the Occupational Therapy service is:
- To assess the components of function, i.e. motor, sensory, cognitive and perceptual skills.
- To assess performance areas, i.e. feeding, grooming, bathing, dressing, functional transfers to bed, toilet and chair and functional mobility.
- To plan and implement treatments to improve functional independence through remediation techniques or compensatory strategies such as adaptive equipment.
- To advise client/family on home modifications required to maximise independence and facilitate safe discharge home.
- To carry out a pre-discharge home assessment as deemed appropriate by the Occupational Therapist and the client/family.
- Advise/educate patient and family on techniques to further improve independence at home.
- To liaise with the multi-disciplinary team and community services such as Community Occupational Therapy, Public Health Nurse and Voluntary organisations.
Contact details:
Telephone: 09096 48355
