Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 7

NEWS
Helping people back to work, one fit note at a time
RCOT will be leading on a new government-funded project to
deliver occupational therapy-led vocational clinics in GP surgeries
(OTnews, December 2018, page 8).
One of the key tools used by occupational therapists in these
new clinics will be the AHP Advisory Fitness for Work Report,
commonly known as AHP fit notes, which deliver personalised
return to work information for staff.
This is the second month where we have spoken with
occupational therapists who have already integrated the reports into
their work to see how they will operate in the new clinics.
Emma Taylor is an independent occupational therapist who
works in the community, and often does occupational health
assessments for smaller businesses. ‘The majority of clients want to
go back to work because of what it offers them above and beyond
getting paid,’ she says. ‘I might be working with somebody who
had an injury or has been off sick and needs to return to work, or
they are back at work when they shouldn’t be. In those situations, I
write the advisory note and the employer will accept it or the client
will take it to the GP.’
Jude Benharoch is a highly specialised occupational therapist
in rheumatology working for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
in outpatient clinics. She is now using the reports with two or
three patients a month. ‘I find it useful when there’s a lack of
understanding of the patient’s condition and the effect on their
work ability when perhaps a more formal approach is needed,’ she
says. That can help to explain more complex cases to an employer,
helping to explain conditions they may not fully understand.
‘I think a lot of the patients I see have disabilities, but hidden,’
she adds. ‘Arthritis is seen as something older people have. With
younger patients who work they tend to be very stoic and get on
with it, working through their pain. I see it as a way for education
and support for managers as for what you can and can’t do.’
The AHP fit note is an effective way to provide detail that is not
included in GP fit notes and provide the fine detail on what support
© GettyImages/gilaxia
different people need. Says Emma: ‘What an employer wants is the
detail. A GP will tend to write “light duties”. An employer could bring
that to me and ask: What does that mean?’
Says Jude: ‘Employees want employers to know their strengths
as well as their weaknesses. They might be very variable – some
days they might not be able to do anything and sometimes they
might struggle to get out of bed. Understanding variability is really
important.’
There is also scope to use the fit note as a way to give
employers information on conditions, and Jude has found she has
sometimes attached extra sheets to make sure they have all the
details to understand the situation.
Both occupational therapists emphasise the reports are just
one of many tools at their disposal – but their use does provide an
effective tool to provide occupational therapy support that really
makes a difference.
Says Emma: ‘It’s not onerous or doing work above or beyond
if you’re work-focused. It certainly does give a structure, and it is
definitely is better than going in with a blank sheet of paper.’
Parkinson’s UK opens 2019 audit
The 2019 Parkinson’s Audit is now open for registration, with
Parkinson’s UK looking for occupational therapists to again
contribute to the biannual process.
Occupational therapy services can contribute with a minimum
data set of 10 patient cases collected between 1 May and 30
September this year.
Audit evidence can be, and has been, used to build business
cases and attract service improvement funding. All services
receive an individual service report benchmarking their data
against UK-wide results, along with dedicated support to
develop and deliver service improvement plans from the
charity.
Kate Hayward, chair of RCOTSS – Neurological Practice’s
Long-Term Conditions Forum, said: ‘RCOT and RCOT Specialist
Section – Neurological Practice welcome the UK Parkinson’s
Audit for 2019. Occupational therapy clearly has an important
role within Parkinson’s, as was detailed in the recent release
of the second edition of Occupational therapy for people with
Parkinson’s: Best practice guide. Given the specific focus on
occupational therapy, this audit offers us a good opportunity
to demonstrate the vital role the profession has in this area of
practice. We know from previous audits how influential it can be
in service delivery and development of services locally and we
strongly encourage members to get involved.’
The 2017 audit found that more work was needed on
specialised multidisciplinary care, standardised practices and
communication and information sharing.
To improve collection in 2019, the questions and data
collection tools have been streamlined. Register by 31 March at:
www.parkinsons.org.uk/audit.
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