Recovery healthcare provision , with virtual and face-toface learning used to deliver lectures and peer support .
Recovery healthcare provision , with virtual and face-toface learning used to deliver lectures and peer support .
Projects are undertaken to implement new skills learnt , and with regular feedback and mentoring in place , the programme finishes with a presentation of each practitioner ’ s learning journey .
Improving engagement in group interventions
We decided to use group activity as the basis for our Quality Improvement project . Group based interventions assist in improving mental health outcomes , supporting motivation and enabling personal goals to be met ( Cole 2014 ).
Over the previous 12 months , group interventions had been reintroduced to our occupational therapy offer following the COVID-19 pandemic . This included walking , cooking and creative groups , each with varying levels of participant engagement .
We identified the cooking group as the group for quality improvement , due to continuous poor attendance , despite its importance in supporting social participation , skills development and overall positive occupation .
The approaches explored for the Quality Improvement programme were varied . It was decided that , for the project being undertaken , cause and effect and driver diagram approaches would be used to identify the change ideas ( see pages 52 and 53 ).
Measurement plans , and Plan , Do , Study , Act ( PDSA ) cycles were used to evaluate the change idea and to measure the worth of further change ideas .
The change idea we implemented was to move the cooking group from taking place on a Monday morning to a Thursday morning . The time and length of the group remained the same .
Our evaluation showed that simply by changing the day , overall patient engagement improved , compared with other cooking group blocks .
Mentor support was provided throughout the project and a Quality Improvement working group was implemented within the service , consisting of team members who had completed or who were currently undertaking the AAIFS programme .
The working group allowed for rich discussion and differing perspectives to be considered from individuals who had clear understanding of the service , allowing an in-depth perspective of the project to be gained , as well as providing a support network to enable skills to be developed .
Furthermore , line management support ensured that time was allocated for learning each week , as well as regular face-to-face meetings to ensure collaborative working , which reduced pressure and ensured patient experience would be optimised from data gathered .
The AAIFS programme highlighted the importance of looking at an area of practice holistically and making a small , targeted change , rather than making a number of changes at one time .
The experience allowed exploration of new skills that are highly transferable to all areas of occupational therapy practice . This has allowed occupational therapy within the addictions service to identify and optimise its group offer to patients who access the service .
The programme has also helped showcase the work undertaken by occupational therapists and the variables considered within the addictions service setting .
Cole M ( 2014 ) Client centred groups . In : Bryant W , Fieldhouse J , Bannigan K ( editors ) Creek ’ s Occupational Therapy and Mental Health . London : Elsevier Health Sciences , p . 241-259 .
Public Health Scotland ( 2024 ) Medication Assisted Treatment ( MAT ) standards . Available from https :// bit . ly / 3W2ck5y [ Accessed 20 June 2024 ].
Scottish Government ( 2021 ) Medication Assisted Treatment ( MAT ) standards : access , choice , support . Available at https :// bit . ly / 4fGBdLd
Words JESSICA ROBSON , Senior Occupational Therapist , and MIKAELA WILLIAMS , Occupational Therapist , South Ayrshire Treatment and Recovery Team ( START ) mikaela . williams @ aapct . scot . nhs . uk
Above : Our cause and effect diagram , created to explore and record likely cause of lack of engagement
January 2025 OTnews 53