NEWS
Sport for Confidence hits 1,000 remote physical activity sessions for vulnerable
adults during lockdown
Occupational therapy-led sports coaching organisation Sport for
Confidence has now delivered over 1,000 digital activity sessions
for vulnerable adults in Essex during lockdown.
Its Stay Connected programme, which has been helping
marginalised groups and vulnerable adults to maintain contact and
physical activity levels during lockdown, has been so successful
that it has had its contract with Essex County Council extended
until the end of next month.
Sport for Confidence traditionally delivers inclusive sport and
physical activity sessions, led by occupational therapists working
alongside sports coaches, in mainstream leisure facilities for those
who face barriers to participation. But when leisure centres were
forced to close their doors at the end of March, the organisation
was no longer able to deliver its vital services, potentially leaving
hundreds of clients unsupported until further notice.
By the beginning of April, Sport For Confidence had redeployed
its entire staff team of occupational therapists and sports coaches
to deliver a specialist at home service, providing a remote,
person-centred support service to thousands of vulnerable adults
in Essex. Over three months, the team of eight occupational
therapists conducted over 3,100 telephone consultations across
876 individual cases, delivering personalised advice and helping
people to establish daily routines, healthy eating and physical
activity planning, and alternative ways people could safely engage
with family and friends. 1,000 digital activity sessions were also
delivered across a range of individual and group activities.
Lyndsey Barrett, founder of Sport for Confidence and senior
occupational therapist, said: ‘Stay Connected has enabled us
to maintain professional contact with individuals who could
otherwise really struggle with the negative effects of imposed
isolation. Keeping clients active and connected by remote means
is not ideal, but it has certainly provided a lifeline to many and has
enabled us to continue to deliver much-needed services until we
are able to return to our traditional delivery methods.’
It is hoped that by the time the Stay Connected programme
comes to an end that Sport for Confidence will be able to start
returning to face-to-face delivery in leisure centres with new
measures taken to keep people safe.
3,100
telephone
consultations done
by Sport Confidence’s
eight occupational
therapists
Personalised Care Institute opens for business
A new virtual
E-learning
Personalised
modules and a
Care Institute will
curriculum that
launch next month
RCOT contributed
to support an
to are also due
estimated 75,000
to launch on
multiprofessional
September 15.
clinicians to deliver
An accreditation
on the personalised
process is also
care agenda.
being developed for
The institute is aiming to help staff in delivering shared
training providers based on the curriculum’s standards.
decision making, personalised care and support planning, social The NHS Long-Term Plan is aiming to ensure that 2.4 million
prescribing and community-based support, and supported selfmanagement.
Visit the institute at:
people are given personalised care by 2024.
www.personalisedcareinstitute.org.uk.
10 OTnews August 2020