OTnews August 2020 | Page 44
FEATURE SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
The culture in the ward focuses more on activity
and there is an increased awareness that patients
should take personal ownership of their activity in
order to improve their strength and balance.
Patients recognise the relationship between
sedentary behaviour and their wellbeing, and sitting
time has reduced as stepping and other physical
activity has increased.
recognise the
relationship between sedentary
behaviour and their wellbeing,
and sitting time has reduced
as stepping and other physical
‘‘Patients
activity has increased.
The activity passport is a medium that patients
report enjoying using; it encourages them do
more, exercise regularly and they can
see that they have progressed.
The improvement journey
still continues and the
passport is also used
to record nursing
activity with that
patient, assisting the
development of a truly
person-centred plan of
care. It is essential to
continue to ensure the
message of the passport
focuses on encouraging
the reduction in sedentary
behaviour.
The advantages of this project are being shared
beyond NHS Lanarkshire and abroad. In addition
to benefits to the patients being cared for in Kello
Hospital, professionally the programme has enabled
occupational therapists to reconnect with the
fundamental principles of occupational therapy
practice and continues to motivate practitioners to
seek other areas for improvement and research.
The #ThinkActivity Team won ‘Top Team’ at the
Scottish Health Awards 2018.
References
British Geriatrics Society (2018) 10 days in a hospital bed
leads to 10 years’ worth of lost muscle mass in people
over age 80. [Online]. Available at: www.bgs.org/blog/.
[accessed 8 January 2019].
Care Opinion. (2018) #ThinkActivity – Using activity
passports to support people to improve their health and
wellbeing. [Online]. Available at: www.careopinion.
org.uk/blogposts/753/thinkactivity---using-activitypassports-to-support-people-to-improve-their-healthand-wellbeing.
[accessed 30 October 2018].
Chief Medical Officer (2011) Start active, say active: report
on physical activity in the UK. Available at: www.gov.uk.
publications. [accessed 8 January 2019]
Chief Medical Officer (2019) Chief medical officer’s Physical
Activity Guidelines. Available at: www.gov.uk.publications.
[accessed 18 September 2019]
Clarke C, Stack C and Martin M (2018) Lack of meaningful
activity on acute physical hospital wards: older people’s
experience. British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
81(1): 15-23
Dolan B (2017) Helping patients to get up and get moving.
NHS Improvement. [Online] Available at: NHS
Improvement>Resources>Helping patients to get up
dressed and get moving. [accessed 8 January 2019]
Harvey J, Chastin SFM and Skelton DA (2018). What
happened to my legs when I broke my arm? AIMS
Medical Science. 5 (3): 252-258
Knowledge Network (2017) Lifecurve Survey 2017. [Online].
Available at: http://knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/ahp
community/lifecurve-survey-2017.aspx. [accessed 8
January 2019]
World Health Organisation (2010) World Health
Organisation global recommendations on physical
activity for health. [Online]. Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/books/NBK305057/pdf [accessed 1 March
2019]
Fiona Black, occupational therapist, NHS
Lanarkshire, and Margot Russell, Director of NMAHP
Practice Development, NHS Lanarkshire. Email:
[email protected]
44 OTnews August 2020 © GettyImages/imtmphoto