Occupational Therapy News OTnews October 2018 | Page 7

NEWS
Wales plans whole-school approach to
mental health and wellbeing
The Welsh health and education secretaries will lead a joint group to
deliver a ‘whole school approach’ to mental health and wellbeing in
schools.
The group is intended to help co-ordinate the large number of
partners and initiatives involved in supporting young people.
The work programme is yet to be agreed, but follows a
government report from April that called for emotional and mental
wellbeing and resilience to be a stated national priority.
The ministers say they are planning to draw on expertise from
all relevant sectors and include children and young people in the
programme’s development.
RCOT will be writing to the taskforce and are looking for further
examples of occupational therapists working in all school roles to
illustrate their value. Email [e-mail] to contribute.
Occupational therapists ‘under-
utilised’ in Welsh discharge practices,
says report
Occupational therapists
and physiotherapists
are ‘under-utilised’ in
discharge practices
from hospitals to GP
Patient Discharge from
Hospital
to General Practice:
surgeries, a new report
Thematic Report 201
7-2018
has concluded.
The report found
that communication
between hospitals
and GPs during
discharge is impacting
on patient care, and
a need for better
inclusion of patients, families and carers to help manage
care at home.
The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report has
recommended that therapists should be included in
multidisciplinary discharge where they are not already
involved to help reduce the number of communications
going on.
E-discharge, clearer detail on what information should
be shared between hospitals and GPs and greater clarity
around everyone’s roles would help the situation, the report
concluded.
Dai Davies, RCOT policy officer for Wales, said: ‘This
report underlines why it’s so important to have occupational
therapists included at every level of discharge. Our
Improving Lives, Saving Money report showed how having
occupational therapists working in accident and emergency
in Cardiff can really help, and we are seeing more
occupational therapists employed in GP surgeries to help
people to stay at home and prevent readmissions.’
You can read the report at: www.bit.ly/2N6SL5V.
1
Relaunch for
dementia-friendly
hospitals charter 
Dementia-Friendly
Hospital Charter
Revised 2018
A charter to encourage hospitals
to be more accessible for
people with dementia has been
relaunched. The Dementia-
Friendly Hospital Charter was
launched in 2015 and so far 132
acute hospitals in England have
signed up to it.
Dementia Action Alliance have
updated the charter and new hospitals can sign up online
to be matched with a partner hospital to share knowledge.
Professor Alistair Burns, NHS England National Clinical Director for
Dementia, said: ‘There are excellent examples of great care for people
with dementia when they are admitted to hospital, it’s important that
everyone is aware of these examples of best practice, so we can
ensure we are providing the best care.’
Sign up to the charter at: www.bit.ly/2vMICEN.
N202
OTnews October 2018 7