Occupational Therapy News OTnews April 2019 | Page 50

FEATURE PERSONALISED CARE
Linking up
A social prescribing project in Reading is working with occupational therapist
referrals to give people the community support they need
L
ink workers and social prescribing are
additional support they need to live safe and well at
two key tenets of the NHS Long-Term
home.’
Plan in England to make personalised,
The service covers all ages over 18; referrals for
preventative care a reality. In some ways
older people with more complex health needs are
they represent long-held occupational therapy
given more specialist support from Age UK Berkshire.
beliefs coming to fruition: helping people to do the
The team covers around 20 referrals a month from a
things they want to do. But how do these roles
wide variety of sources, including GPs, adult social
work alongside occupational therapists?
care, talking therapies and occupational therapists.
Reading Voluntary Action’s social prescribing
Adds Ms Morland: ‘I think the occupational
programme started as a pilot through the local
therapists are really good at identifying that when the
clinical commissioning group (CCG) six years ago,
person gets home they are going to be lonely – what
to provide support for a wide range of people,
they need is connections when they get home.
including those with long-term conditions
‘The people they are thinking about need
or experiencing isolation.
befrienders or social activities. And
Today, RVA works
the occupational therapists may
For
the
most
in partnership with
be thinking about continuing
Age UK Berkshire,
a rehabilitation programme
straightforward cases,
the service employing
or exercise, and we can
signposting is enough to
three link workers
encourage that person to
support people. Others
– known at the
start doing some gentle
require
more
support
and
project as social
walking.’
prescribers – and
For the most
will have a meeting to share
an administration
straightforward cases,
information and then a
coordinator. During
signposting is enough to
follow-up session to assess
the winter period
support people. Others
changes in their health
two extra staff known
require more support and
as navigators have
will have a meeting to share
and wellbeing.
delivered a pilot project into
information and then a follow-up
hospitals, helping people to
session to assess changes in their
make changes to support them.
health and wellbeing.
Sarah Morland, the partnership
And for the most involved cases, support is
manager with Reading Voluntary Action, says: ‘The
offered over three or four months to help people into
social prescriber sits down with them and uses the
activities or to be referred on.
Wellbeing Star, which has eight different aspects to
Sarah Martin joined the service as a social
a patient’s life.
prescriber three years ago after a previous career
‘They have an hour-long conversation with
as an adult social worker, and she says there are
that person to identify areas they would like to
some commonalities. ‘It’s similar work, as it is based
make some improvements and we give them
on meeting people, using the same sort of skills…
some information about community and voluntary
but there’s a real gap for signposting people and
organisations to help with them.
preventative services [that] this helps meet,’ she says.
‘It started very much about patients making
The support she can offer is a mix of identifying
some changes in their lives to improve their health
what people want to do and supporting them to do
and wellbeing, but what we have noticed is the
so.
needs of the clients is much less about people
She adds: ‘We had one case who had discussed
who can bring about changes, and more about
with an occupational therapist about wanting to be
‘‘
50 OTnews April 2019
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