Recovering Ordinary Lives and Delivering for Mental Health

Genevieve Smyth10th November 2009

Five themes- valuing occupation, the added value of occupational therapy, leadership, education and training

and workforce development

89 key messages for practitioners, managers, COT, educators and researcher

1 – A tool to assess Equality, Social inclusion, Recovery and Rights

• Occupational therapists will value recovery and will work within a socially inclusive framework p4

• Challenge inequalities in provision of health and social care ensuring that services are accessible p10

• Audit occupational therapy services to ensure that they are accessible to all individuals that need them p11

• Use outcome measures p13

2 – Peer Support Workers

• Support adults in attaining, maintaining or regaining a work role. This will involve more occupational therapists working in this area p4

• Establish systems that support substantive service user and carer participation p4

3 – Anxiety and Depression in GP services

• Keep up to date with current ways of working and best practice in occupational therapy p12

• Seek up to date information about best practice and know how to make use of research evidence so that they are able to base interventions on best evidence p4

4 – Availability of evidence based Psychological therapies

• Work to develop new ways of working for occupational therapists in mental health p19

• Continue to develop new skills through a variety of CPD experiences in readiness for alternative employment p18

• Seek opportunities to work in new areas and apply for posts that match your skills whether or not an occupational therapist is targeted p18

5 –Improving Physical health care of those with severe and enduring mental illness

• Interventions are designed to overcome physical, psychological, social and environmental barriers to participation p5

6 – Use of Integrated Care Pathways

• Build pathways of care that highlight what service users can expect of their occupational therapy intervention p13

7- Training in Suicide assessment and prevention

• Develop CPD opportunities that will enable occupational therapy staff to access and make the use of the latest research evidence p13

8- Crisis standards and avoiding inappropriate admission

• Provide interventions in the locations that best meet the needs of service users. Occupational therapy may be provided in the home or in other community based settings as an alternative to hospital p4

9 – Acute Inpatient forums

• Seek leadership opportunities within and outside of occupational therapy p14

• Champion occupational therapy services within your organisation and beyond p15

10 and 11 – Mental health of Children and Young people

• Children need to engage in activities to develop and learn p3

• It is anticipated that services in 2017 will be significantly different from those offered in 2006 and that occupational therapy workforce working with both children and adults will be employed within a wide variety of services p5

12 –CPA for restricted patients

• Using occupational language explain with confidence the meaning of occupation and its relationship to recovery to service users, carers and colleagues p10

13 – Mental health and substance misuse

• Provide information within your organisation on the importance of occupation to recovery and wellbeing and on the cost effectiveness of occupational therapy p10

14 –Dementia services

• Older people need occupations and activities that support their ability to be independent and give them a valued role in society p3

• Take an overview of the skills mix across services and consider where occupational therapists might have the most impact in meeting service user needs p19

Genevieve.Smyth@cot.co.uk0207 450 5220