Occupational Therapy News OTnews July 2019 | Page 16

REPORT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Occupational therapists need ‘to be brave’ to open up advanced practice, new academy lead says
The push to open up the advanced clinical practice agenda
to new professions will require occupational therapists ‘to
be brave’ in redefining what working at the level requires, a
session at RCOT annual conference has heard.
Richard Collier, the project lead for the Academy of
Advancing Practice at Health Education England and a
physiotherapist by profession, said that many people were
operating on ‘outdated ideas’ of it purely being a hospital-
based role, working with medics and focusing on diagnosis
and prescription.
‘It’s up to us to try and change that’, he said. ‘You’re
going to have to be brave […] but keep pushing.’
The academy is working across 22 professions,
including the allied health professions, nursing, midwifery,
psychology, pharmacy and dentistry, to develop new
standards in England on what working at advanced clinical
practitioner level means.
Richard said the issues across the diverse professions
were complex, and that there were ‘lots of language and
definition issues’.
The new academy is aiming to set up a directory
for those working at advanced and consultant levels
of practice. Individuals will be able to apply to join the
directory either by completing an academy-accredited
programme or directly submitting equivalent evidence.
Listing in the directory will require periodic renewal, as
well as requiring evidence of continuing professional
development every few years, although the frequency is
yet to be decided.
Initially Health Education England is expected to
subsidise the cost of applying, although it is anticipated
that later on fees will apply in order to pay for
assessors.
As well as developing the academy for advanced
practitioners and consultants, work is also underway for
people working at an enhanced level, in order to recognise
the vital contribution that practitioners make at the level
before advanced clinical practice.
The academy is discussing the development with the
other home nations to see if reciprocity will be possible.
RCOT’s briefing on advanced practice has recently
been updated after a flurry of activity in 2019, and is
available to members at: www.rcot.co.uk/leadership-and-
management.
Service user thanks occupational therapists for ‘helping him to run differently’
Service user Philip Allen was helped by an occupational
therapist after a brain injury to see that life could be
‘different but not necessarily worse’, he told the closing
plenary of RCOT’s annual conference.
Philip’s life was changed dramatically after a cycling
accident on a family holiday in Cornwall in 2010. Having
previously lived at home with his wife and three children
and working as a lawyer at a global law film, Philip has
since had to acclimatise to life living away from his family
and not being able to take up paid employment.
His injuries included brain
injuries, despite having worn a
helmet, as well as deafness
in one ear and lost sight in
one eye.
He said: ’[With hidden
disability] it’s easy to
think there’s nothing
going on with
someone when
there’s a lot going
on behind the
scenes.’
However,
it was the
mental
changes
16 OTnews July 2019
that required the biggest adjustments in the long term,
including behavioural changes, cognitive impacts such
as memory loss, and emotional problems including a
tendency towards negativity.
He found it hard to acclimatise to the loss of his family
role and losing employment: ‘I felt like a new Phil, Phil
2.0 […] but to be honest I didn’t like Phil 2.0,’ he said.
However, with the support of friends, family and
professionals, he has acclimated to the idea that life is
‘different but not necessarily worse’, and he now takes
part in voluntary work, playing instruments and writing.
He added: ’It’s a journey. I’m trying. I’ve not got there yet
but I’m blessed with others around me.’
He thanked his wife and an occupational therapist
who have helped him to adjust, as have several friends
that have helped him to take part in triathlons.
He shared a quote from REM frontman Michael Stipe:
‘I guess a three-legged dog is still a dog. It just has to
learn to run differently.’
Added Phil: ’I’m that dog and you’re helping me to
run differently. I thank you all.’
Also at the plenary, chief executive Julia Scott
extended thanks to several people leaving roles,
including Patricia McClure as RCOT chair of council,
Julia Skelton as RCOT director of professional
operations, and Sarah Bodell and Dee Christie from the
conference development team.