On receipt of your referral form a trained member of the Occupational Therapy Team will telephone you to discuss your needs. We are used to talking about daily activities and the difficulties you may be experiencing. In some cases we will offer advice, inform you how to obtain simple pieces of equipment or who to go to for minor adaptations that meet your needs. You may be directed to other appropriate professionals and agencies. We work closely with many local businesses, voluntary groups and organisations.
If your needs are more complex and we are not able to resolve them over the telephone, your case will be allocated to an Occupational Therapist (OT) or Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA), who will arrange to visit you at home.
There may be a delay before your case is allocated. You will be given general guidelines of the waiting time to expect. If your situation significantly worsens whilst you are on the waiting list, do please let us know. We see people with a permanent and substantial disability, which means you might have significant difficulties with tasks such as:
· Accessing and using essential facilities within your home (toilet, bedroom, bathroom)
· Getting in and out of your home
We will talk to you about the activities you are finding difficult. We will analyse the activity to find out the specific movement that is required. Following this we will advise on techniques, changes to daily routines and equipment as appropriate. We will also arrange to review our recommendations to make sure that we have met all your Occupational Therapy needs. There will be times when different equipment will need to be trialled in order to see what provides you with the best outcome. We will work with you and where appropriate (at your request) with your carer to find out your priorities and what solution works for you. Click here to open a self referral form (you will need to print and complete the form and return it to the address on the last page).
We use Fair Access to Care guidance from the Department of Health to prioritise referrals and determine whether people qualify for our full service. You may wish to obtain advice or an assessment privately.
For private OTs please click this link to the British Association of Occupational Therapists