Occupational Therapy News OTnews April 2019 | Page 51

PERSONALISED CARE FEATURE
involved in more things in the community once they got home.
They had a sense of what they wanted to do, but they didn’t know
where it was happening or when it was. We could help with that
and some of the practical issues of getting from A to B with a car
scheme.’
As well as the practical issues, the social prescribers can help
identify and manage that first contact with potentially intimidating
new ventures. ‘It is really hard to go to these sorts of groups if you
don’t know anyone,’ Ms Martin says.
While the main service operates in the community, the navigators
working on the pilot project on hospital wards are helping to put in
place support for people before they are even discharged.
Lottie Joy, an occupational therapist for the Royal Berkshire
NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘The benefit of having the navigators
come around is it prompts us to think about who could use the
option.
‘Sometimes you don’t already know what people need here
in the hospital setting. You could think they might be a bit lonely, shopping, they can be passed on to someone else
to have a deeper conversation.’
Whether on the ward or in the community, it is
common to refer people to befriending services,
benefits, walking groups and sports clubs – but
there are more esoteric examples from the
service.
‘We found a stamp collecting club for one
gentleman, and it’s been the best thing for him,’
says Ms Morland. ‘He’s a changed person, as
he has a passion again.’
With evaluation showing the life-changing
effects of being linked to the services people need,
it is clear how the roles are being taken on more
widely to help people get more from life.
She adds: ‘The feedback we’re getting is that
people are feeling more connected, and that someone
has listened to them, because we can sit down for an
but you’re not sure; the service can then dig a bit deeper and they
also have all the knowledge about what is out there and available.
‘As occupational therapists, we would love to be able to sit
with people and chat with them for hours, but we don’t have
the time or facilities to do that. So this is good; if you talk with
someone and know they’re independent, but struggle with their hour and have that really wide-ranging conversation
that isn’t necessarily happening.’
Why
have a
Andrew Mickel, journalist, OTnews, email: Andrew.
[e-mail]. More information on the project at:
www.rva.org.uk/social-prescribing.
stairlift when you can
E
UNIQU R
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THRU-F M
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OTnews April 2019 51