NEWS
Occupational therapists get to work in Northern Ireland’s GP surgeries during
COVID-19
One of the first occupational therapists to
start working in primary care in Northern
Ireland has been setting up a new mental
health service in the middle of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Jane Reynolds is the manager for the
mental health service at the Causeway
GP Federation, the second occupational
therapist to take on the role in primary care
in Northern Ireland.
She started in the role in January, but
she and her staff had only been in post for a
matter of weeks before the lockdown began
and all the planned face-to face working
had to go on hold.
‘We’ve had to adapt and look at other
ways of doing things to what I had originally Jane Reynolds
planned,’ says Jane.
The team have come to focus on supporting people with
anxiety and work concerns, such as key workers who have had to
continue working.
Says Jane: ’These changes have been thrust on everyone and
they’re not alone with that – but how can we help them to achieve
their potential and get over the distress?
‘In a team meeting yesterday we talked about loss and
bereavement, and that’s not just related to a death in a family; it
can also be about loss of plans, hopes and dreams and where
you thought you were going to be at this stage in life. We can help
them find other ways to manage stress and emotions.’
Jane currently has a staff of five to cover the federation’s
18 surgeries to meet demand, including four nurses and a
social worker. She anticipates that to grow to 11, including two
occupational therapists who will be joining the team this summer.
The federation has now agreed to provide webcams and headsets
to bolster the existing work of the team over the phone.
She says that her professional
background has been a huge help in
getting the service off the ground. ‘I think
occupational therapists are very good at
being mindful leaders, and I very much take
that coach approach with what I’m doing
here,’ she says. ‘The occupational therapy
model of learning is also really useful for
working with staff on what interventions they
are providing, helping people find their own
solutions to problems.’
A crucial tool in that work has been the
psychological first aid course from the Public
Health Agency. ‘It talks about how anxiety
and stress are normal reactions to this
abnormal situation,’ says Jane.
She is now trying to work out how to
develop a standardised service across the
federation’s 18 surgeries. ‘They are individual businesses that
want to to do things in their own way, but we have to work out
how to provide a standardised service,’ says Jane. ‘There is a lot
of work using negotiating skills and my communication skills to
win over practice managers to what could be beneficial for them.’
But despite the challenges, the service has proven to be a
huge hit, particularly with many GPs relocated to COVID-specific
services away from their usual surgeries. ‘GP practices who don’t
get staff from the service are calling me and asking me when they
are getting them,’ says Jane. ‘It’s been seen as such a valued role,
and we have been able to take a lot of stress away from doctors
in terms of anxious people who normally end up through their
door on a regular basis.’
More occupational therapists are expected to move into mental
health roles in primary care in the coming years as part of the
Northern Ireland Government plans to create multidisciplinary
mental health teams in GP surgeries.
AWARDS
Award-winning sustainability ideas shared by 2020 Advancing Healthcare
Awards
A selection of sustainable good practice ideas from the 2020 Advancing Healthcare Awards has been shared as part of its Year of
Green Action award programme.
The ideas include 11 suggestions from occupational therapists, including a highly commended entry from Swansea Bay
occupational therapist Amanda Atkinson on creating outdoor play sessions for children during school holidays.
Other ideas shared by the programme include the development of horticultural workshops in acute mental health wards and in
forensic settings; using nature to help young people back to school after major trauma injuries; and efforts to deliver services online
to cut down on travel costs and open up services.
The winners will be celebrated in a virtual ceremony on 16 October 2020. You can download the publication at:
www.ahawards.co.uk/going-green.
OTnews August 2020 7