Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy team within Adult Social Care provides practical support through advice and information, alongside equipment and adaptations. They work by assisting people to be as independent as possible and reduce the reliance on more formal care and support. The team aims to empower people to overcome the barriers that prevent them from doing activities of daily living that matter to them.

The Occupational Therapy team has a combination of qualified Occupational Therapists and experienced Occupational Therapy Assistants. They can offer support and advice around day-to-day tasks such as bathing, using stairs and accessing the property where a person lives.

Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants assist adults and children of all ages with a wide range of health conditions or disabilities. They work with a variety of partner organisations including health professionals such as GP’s, social care services, housing and voluntary organisations such as Age UK.

How can I see or talk to the team?

Requests to the Community Occupational Therapy Team can be made by you, a health professional, carer, family member, or a voluntary organisation such as Age UK. They collect information on what you would like to achieve and the type of property you live in.

They will consider the urgency of the request and level of difficulty to ensure they pass the referral to the appropriate person and in the right time scale.

They generally visit you in your home to discuss what needs you have, and explore what solutions may be implemented to ensure your safety and independence.

 During the visit they will:

• Complete a personalised assessment looking at you as a whole person, exploring all the factors that impact your daily life.
• Discuss and observe how you move around and how this impacts on what you do and your safety.
• Discuss and observe how you manage everyday activities such as climbing stairs, bathing and managing to get on and off chairs, beds and the toilet.
• Explore all options of equipment and adaptations that may help you remain independent at home. 
• Decide with you which option will be the best solution.
• Consider if your home is suitable for adaptation.
• Offering housing advice to enable you to move to a more accessible property if deemed necessary and you meet the housing eligibility criteria.
• Provide any advice and information you may need, including other services that may be able to help you. 

Following the assessment, having considered all the relevant factors, the Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant will recommend what they feel is the safest and best option for you.   

They can also provide advice before visiting and have leaflets about the service, and on stair, bathing and access solutions which they can post or email to you.

Contacting Adult Social Care