Occupational Therapy opportunities

'The role of the OT in the team is varied to support people to engage in daily living tasks and to support those that care for them to use safe techniques. We work with children and adults. Excitingly, no two days are the same. The day starts with reviewing new allocations and admin. Then I go on to prepare to visit service users in their homes and work with them to achieve their outcomes.

My work involves reading background information, liaising with colleagues, and liaising with equipment stores to order and trial equipment. I also must remember to have my handy measuring tape ready to measure a home for reconfiguration.

OT’s holistic understanding of the importance of 'doing activities' makes our reflective discussion with service users a shared journey for encouraging meaningful changes to their home environment to improve quality of life.'

‘I love working as an OT in the D2A team as my role is so varied. I have the privilege to connect with people in order to understand who they are, what they want or need, and what I can do to support them to live their everyday life to the fullest.

I enjoy intentionally listening to client’s hopes and concerns, providing me with the opportunity to problem solve alongside them, and to clarify what is needed to support them to live safely within their home environment. My role utilises most of my OT skills, assessing individuals and focusing on their strengths so as to overcome obstacles preventing them to live as independently as possible. I have learned the art of diplomacy, as I tend to walk into highly emotional driven scenarios. Meaning, I have to be compassionate and firm at the same time, but I thrive in such challenging situations pulling everyone together to focus on the individual, activating the individuals wants and needs.

As a team we support various local hospitals to ensure safe discharges, optimising individual function and care, preventing re-admissions back into hospital, and reducing the load on other teams within the community. My recommendations following assessment range from prescribing equipment, actioning minor adaptations, recommending therapy, advising on moving and handling equipment/demonstrating techniques, raising safeguarding’s, to referring onto other services, and so much more. My main goal is to ensure that the individuals needs are met holistically.

There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that the most insignificant action I take can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. In Nelson Mandela words: ‘There can be no greater gift than that of giving one's time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.’

‘My role has been to re-establish a rehabilitative focus to the work provided by the Reablement Workers in the team.

I provide (SMART) objectives for people mostly those who have been recently discharged from hospital to reach their goals. Broadly, these goals are to maximise a return to the function they exhibited prior to being admitted: to be as independent as possible, and to prevent, reduce and delay future needs.

Practically, this involves working closely with my Reablement colleagues to provide equipment and minor adaptations, to set objectives and monitor progress, and to liaise with numerous other providers and agencies (internal and external) to ensure that people make the best of the support provided by the team.

The Enfield Reablement team's is therapy-led and has been a clear success, applying a preventative and strength-based therapeutic approach early in people's return to full function in their own homes. This approach has been particularly effective for those recently discharged from hospital, helping them to reach their goals and regain independence.’