Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 15

PERSONALISED CARE FEATURE
F
ocusing care around an individual, working with their
strengths, involving them in every step of their care and
supporting them to do what they want to do in everyday
life; a lot of what is spoken about personalised care will
seem like bread and butter to occupational therapists.
But there is more to finding occupational therapy’s place in the
personalised care agenda than knowing there is a language in
common; finding a way to translate that into practical services is
key.
The approach to personalised care varies between the
UK countries, but social prescribing, co-production and
personalisation are in place everywhere. We have spoken with
members working in these fields to see how they have developed
services that are making a real difference.
Social prescribing
Sarah Bodell, a Salford University lecturer who, along with
colleagues, is leading a new social prescribing hub, says: ‘This is
‘‘
One client was referred to Ways to Wellbeing as she had a
history of bipolar and had become socially isolated. Together
with the service they drew up a plan to build her confidence. She
now has weekly visits from a GoodGym runner, attends sessions
as a local women’s centre and takes part in craft workshops.
What clients end up doing is wide open; Jasmine says there
isn’t one particular service she ends up referring people on to.
‘What you’ve got to bear in mind is you don’t want to saturate
the sector and put your voluntary sector partners under a lot of
pressure when they don’t have the resources,’ she says.
The approach has worked, with improvements in wellbeing
and reductions in GP appointments that outstrip similar services.
It has grown to take on two additional part-time practitioners,
each working with their own medical group. Working with
specific medical groups means the team has been able to build
strong personal links, while being based in surgeries means
using the same IT systems to make sure everyone is on the
same page.
the first time in my career in occupational therapy, which spans
‘We can feedback what we have and haven’t done, and have
almost 30 years, that I’ve seen occupation and wellbeing have
ad hoc conversations too, building up the relationships with
so much traction and funding associated
them,’ says Jasmine.
with it.
And Jasmine’s advice for those working in
‘You could argue that it’s frustrating
social prescribing comes back to people.
that it isn’t being badged as
‘People get very hung up on mapping
occupational therapy, but that doesn’t
what exists in their community; I
This is the first time
actually bother me. I’m just glad that
would say relationships are far more
in my career in occupational
it’s there and gives us a platform as
important, so get out and meet
therapy, which spans almost
occupational therapists to jump on it
people,’ she says.
30
years,
that
I’ve
seen
and make the most of.’
Projects like Ways to Wellbeing
One of the most successful
seem likely to become more
occupation and wellbeing
projects is Ways to Wellbeing in
common with social prescribing a
have so much traction and
York, a social prescribing service set
key focus for policy makers across
funding associated
up three years ago by occupational
the UK. But Sarah thinks there are
with it.
therapist Jasmine Howard to work with
more roles for occupational therapists
the Priory Medical Group in York.
in social prescribing.
When it was first being set up, Jasmine
‘I would like to see clear pathways
had to push hard to make sure it wasn’t just a
from link workers to occupational therapists,’
signposting service. She says: ‘We’ve really taken pride in
she says. ‘Salford link workers can’t always refer to
that as a service. We very much feel as a team that if it was just
occupational therapists, even if they were supported to know
information people needed, they would have found that out for
when and how to do so, as there are simply not enough
themselves.
occupational therapists in primary care or the voluntary sector.
‘The people we work with often need some walking alongside
‘I would like to see those pathways and funding established
to get where they need to go. We’re really interested in working
and developed to pick up the referrals. Much of the social
with people’s strengths, but also exploring what the barriers are
prescribing assessment now sits in primary care, so that’s where
to work together to overcome those.’
the occupational therapist has to be.’
The service will work with anyone who has a medical need
Find out more about the projects at www.yorkcvs.org.uk/
impacting on their health and wellbeing, and the referral criteria
waystowellbeing and www.twitter.com/SalfordSPx.
were made as open as possible to simplify the process
for GPs.
Co-production
Clients have hour-long appointments to make sure the
The shift in how cancer is viewed in recent years has mirrored the
relationship is as strong as possible. ‘The relationship you have
health trends that underpin personalised care. There is increasing
with the people you work with will be the biggest agent for
need (more people than ever will get cancer at some point in their
change,’ says Jasmine.
lives), but rather than looking simply at acute care, there is a move
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