FEATURE REHABILITATION
impact of the delay in treatment waiting times and th
contribution of occupational therapy and work to this
recovery journey.
I have questioned how further delayed my recove
may have been if I had not had my occupational the
skill set to draw upon.
Timely access to mental health services has been
critical issue for a number of years (NHS England 20
with the acknowledgement that ‘accessing the right
treatment at the right time can mean recovering well
a mental health problem’ (MIND 2013).
Had I had quicker access to appropriate rehabilita
I could potentially have returned to work sooner, whi
would have supported my own wellbeing, while redu
the cost to the NHS.
Occupational therapy has been identified as one
the five key professions for mental health (RCOT 201
but at no time during my own mental health journey
offered a referral to occupational therapy.
And yet, it is clear the profession has a valuable ro
to play in supporting the rehabilitation of individuals w
mental health issues, including in the area of work (R
2018).
My own experience has illustrated the importance
the Community rehabilitation: Live well for longer rep
and the current Right to Rehab campaign, which arg
that failing to provide timely, appropriate rehabilitation
have devastating consequences for people’s lives, a
bring greater costs for the NHS and social care syste
(www.rcot.co.uk/news/mps-urge-support-patients-h
better-access-out-hospital-rehab).
The time is now to ensure that there is access to
high-quality community rehabilitation services for all,
with parity between physical and mental health servi
Occupational therapists have a vital role to play as p
person-centred, multidisciplinary rehabilitation workf
Occupational therapy certainly helped and contin
to help me to get my life back and I believe my story
showcases the potential value of the profession in
rehabilitation services.
References
Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2018) Getting m
back: Occupational therapy promoting mental health a
wellbeing-England. Available at: www.rcot.co.uk/practic
resources/occupational-therapy-topics/rehabilitation [ac
10 May 2020]
The Reading Agency (2020) Reading well – mental health
Available at: https://reading-well.org.uk/books/books-o
prescription/mental-health [accessed 10 May 2020]
NHS England (2016) The five-year forward view for
mental health. Mental Health Taskforce.
Available at: www.england.nhs.uk/
22 OTnews June 2020