Occupational Therapy News OTnews January 2019 | Page 20

FEATURE STUDENT EDUCATION
Role emerging placements
- a service initiative
Occupational therapist Dawn Corse and physiotherapist Nansi Felton
describe the development and setting up of a pilot role emerging
placement between occupational therapy and physiotherapy for the South
Gloucestershire Care Home Liaison Team
W
ithin occupational therapy training, a
role emerging placement is where a
student has a placement in a team
where there is not an existing therapist
or an established occupational therapy role.
Role emerging placements are now an established
part of the development of the occupational therapy
profession, offering potential to make the most of rich
learning experiences while preparing students for a
changing health and social care work environment.
Arguably this has also led to new understandings of
our professional capabilities and the creation of jobs.
However, currently they are not used as a standard
opportunity for learning in physiotherapy training.
The South Gloucestershire Care Home Liaison Team
(CHL), part of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health
Partnership NHS Trust, aims to support the mental
health of those living in residential care settings.
Typically, referrals involve people living with
dementia experiencing distressed reactions to care or
experiencing difficulties with psycho-social symptoms
of dementia.
The team works in partnership with care home
staff, families and outside agencies to develop
interventions supporting the individual to have positive
lived experiences of the care setting, and it includes
psychiatric nurses, support workers, an assistant
psychologist and a part-time occupational therapist.
© GettyImages/erhui1979
20 OTnews January 2019