Occupational Therapy News OTnews October 2018 | Page 17

AWARDS REPORT
Sue Mesa
Sarah Braithwaite
Jesika Horáková
Lyndsey Barrett
Victoria King
Claire Downs
RCOT Annual Awards for Education, Research and Continuing Professional Development
The AMPS-ESI UK and Ireland Award is given to support a
practice development or research activity in a topic related to
occupational therapy, which demonstrates the use of one of the
AMPS (Assessment of Motor and Process Skills) tools.
This year’s award went to Sue Mesa, senior lecturer and course
lead for the MSc Occupational Therapy at York St John University, for
her project ‘Using the OTIPM to guide student learning and promote
occupation-centred practice, within a role-emerging placement’.
Her clinical and research area of expertise is learning disability, first made available in 2015, with funding from The Constance
Owens Trust. The award is in memory of Constance Owens, a
pioneer occupational therapist who opened the Liverpool School
of Occupational Therapy in 1947, and it supports innovative,
developmental or research projects.
Lyndsey’s project is titled ‘Collaborating with People First,
Lambeth to develop meaningful service user involvement within
Sport for Confidence’, which commenced in March 2018 and will be
completed in November 2018.
autism, and dual diagnosis with mental health, and she has an
interest in the use of occupation-centred practice theory.
She said: ‘I feel honoured to have received this award. It will
fund research that will support my development, but will also inform
teaching on the occupational therapy programmes at York St John
and beyond, if we are successful in disseminating the results by
publication.’
The Barbara Tyldesley Student Award was first made available
in 2015, with funding from The Constance Owens Trust in memory of
their late trustee, Barbara Tyldesley. The award supports participation
in an approved overseas practice placement, Erasmus Exchange
Scheme, or global health project.
This year, Sarah Braithwaite, student occupational therapist
at York St John University, and Jesika Horáková, student
occupational therapist at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, both
received an award.
Sarah received her award for a 10-week placement at the Centre
for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in
Bangladesh, while Jesika received funding
from The Barbara Tyldesley Student Award
for an international student occupational
therapy placement at St Joseph’s Health
Care (London) in the Veterans’ Care
Program, which she attended in Ontario,
Canada from January to March 2018.
Sarah told OTnews: ‘It was an honour
to receive my award… as a student it was
inspiring to meet fellow award winners and
established therapists and professionals The second Constance Owens (Liverpool) Award was given
to Victoria King, a paediatric occupational therapist working at
Hackney Ark in London. Working with children from birth until
18 years with physical, learning or other neurodevelopmental
disabilities, Victoria has recently taken over the transition therapist
role supporting young people with disabilities in their preparation for
adulthood.
Her project is called ‘Young people’s views matter: development
of a Young People’s Council within a Child Development Centre to
support engagement and co-production’, which commenced in
January 2018. ‘It was a real privilege to celebrate the inspirational
work that occupational therapists have been achieving over the last
year across clinical, research fields and outside the NHS,’ she says
of attending the event.
The Innovation Award provides funding towards innovative
or development projects aimed at supporting the future of the
profession and professional practice. Claire Downs, an occupational
alike, further deepening the drive for
development in the field of occupational
therapy.’
In addition to her Merit Award, Lyndsey
Barrett also took home The Constance
Owens (Liverpool) Award, which was
The award winners with Patricia McClure, Baroness Hollins and Julia Scott (front row l-r)
OTnews October 2018 17