Occupational Therapy News OTnews July 2019 | Page 10

NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF MEMBER AMONG NOMINEES FOR HEALTHCARE IT AWARD Julie King, an assistive technology occupational therapist at Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, has been nominated for a prestigious Digital Health Award. She is nominated for the chief nursing information officers’ award for her work to introduce person-centered approaches to introducing technology to support independent living. Winners are selected by 3,500 digital health leaders and the winners will be announced on 18 July. There is more on her work in August 2017’s OTnews and more on the awards at: www.bit.do/ digital-health-awards. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS CONTRIBUTE TO UPDATED GUIDELINES FOR THE PROVISION OF INTENSIVE CARE SERVICES Two occupational therapists have contributed to the updated Guidelines for the provision of intensive care services. Lauren Maher and James Bruce from the RCOTSS – Trauma and Musculoskeletal Health’s Critical Care Forum contributed to the section on occupational therapy’s role. The document sets a standard for all critical care units to have access to occupational therapy services five days a week, and for all patients to have access to seven-day rehabilitation. The new document builds on 2015’s first edition which became a definitive source for planning, commissioning and delivering adult critical care services. Read the guidelines at: www.bit.do/GPICS. NORTHERN IRELAND DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP AWARD SCHEME OPENS Applications are now being accepted for doctoral fellowship awards through Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Services (HSCNI). The scheme is open to anyone employed by HSCNI, the community, voluntary or not-for-profit sector in health and social care or as independent contractors. Awards are available for a maximum of three years full-time or six years part-time. The closing date is Friday 11 October. For more information, visit: www.research.hscni.net/ fellowship-awards. 10 OTnews July 2019 Let us see the most appropriate professional, says Scottish public An inquiry into primary care in Scotland has heard the highest priorities from the public on what needs to change, and seeing the most appropriate health professional even if they aren’t a GP is high on the priority list. 2,549 responses were received by the Scottish Parliament’s health and sport committee. Other priorities included a greater focus on prevention rather than treatment, including the introduction of a universal health MOT; mental health treated as a priority, with the NHS working with schools and employers; and more flexible and streamlined appointment systems, including routine access to weekend and evening appointments. A greater use of technology was also high on the list, including all-encompassing electronic patient records, email access to health professionals, video consultations and online appointment scheduling. The committee will now take the findings to health professions before making its final recommendations to parliament. Faster adaptations report rolls out across the UK RCOT’s new guide, Adaptations without delay – A guide to planning and delivering home adaptations differently, has launched in all four UK countries. The guide includes a framework to reduce delays in the delivery of adaptations by providing tools that support a proportionate response. The guide contains a decision-making framework that outlines new ways of working that includes the different levels of complexity of a situation and the most appropriate response. Following the launch, Adaptations without delay was considered in the Welsh Assembly, with the report’s sponsor Dawn Bowden and Julie James, the minister for housing and local government, discussing how occupational therapists and the right adaptations could help people. Read the report at: www.rcot.co.uk/adaptations-without-delay. Update on medicines management In an article published in May’s issue, ‘The management of analgesia’, which described a project at Poole Hospital (OTnews, May 2019, page 40-41), it was not made sufficiently clear that occupational therapists can only administer Prescription Only Medications (POMs) under a prescription, a Patient Specific Direction (PSD), or a Patient Group Direction (PGD). Pharmacy only medicines (P medicines) and General Sales List (GSL) medicines may be administered without a prescription, PSD or PGD under a locally agreed protocol. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/2G7FJEz and https://bit.ly/2XX7QR8. For further information on occupational therapists’ current responsibilities, please refer to our good practice briefing on Medicines management (https://bit.ly/2NLu2tp). RCOT is also planning to publish a detailed report on our current and potential future role in medicines mechanisms, due out soon.