NEWS
New updates for advanced practitioners includes guidance on supervision
A series of updates on advanced practitioners have been published , including new guidance on for the supervision of trainees from Health Education England ( HEE ).
The report was developed in part as existing workplace supervision practices that focus on one profession may not map neatly to the learning needs of developing multi-professional advanced clinical practitioners .
The report outlines what is needed to establish the requirements of multi-professional advanced practitioner supervision , and the potential for people to have both a co-ordinating education supervisor and associate supervisor to ensure people have access to the full range of specialty knowledge and skills development required .
Stephanie Tempest , RCOT professional development manager , said : ‘ This report aligns with much of how RCOT sees advanced practice evolving , and raises important questions for us to consider on multi-professional supervision , including the possibility of having two supervisors at the same time . Advanced practice covers lots of professions , but RCOT is working to make sure that the current round of changes will continue to support occupational therapists .’
Dr Richard Collier , the HEE lead for advanced practice and the lead for the Centre for Advancing Practice , said : ‘ This publication has been developed collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders from across the field of advanced clinical practice , from primary care to mental health and children ’ s services to emergency medicine . With advanced clinical practice continuing to develop in rapid and diverse ways , it is anticipated that this is a first iteration of such guidance .’ Read the guidance at : www . bit . do / HEE-AP-supervision . HEE is also developing over 30 core capability frameworks for key areas of advanced practice , with the first now launched on mental health . The profession was represented by RCOT council member Dr Kee Hean Lim . Access the frameworks at : www . bit . do / HEE-ACP-frameworks .
Separately , the Health and Care Professions Council has also published results of interim research on advanced practice . The survey heard from over 3,000 respondents , although only a limited number of occupational therapists replied .
Respondents were in favour of regulating advanced level practice to provide assurance to employers , to lead to greater consistency in education and training , and to lead to greater standardisation of advanced level practice . However , respondents felt there could be disadvantages with increased cost of registration and difficulties in regulating multiprofessional practice .
The final report is expected to be published soon , with the interim results at : www . bit . do / HCPC-AP-interim .
Occupational therapist makes a play to support elite athletes with their mental health
Injured elite athletes face huge occupational deprivation when they have to take time off from their intensely-scheduled lives , but are they people who could benefit from occupational therapy ?
That is a question that occupational therapist Mark McGuigan has started to explore in the last year , working with a range of athletes , clubs and leagues to see what support he can offer .
Mark ’ s background is in long-term inpatient mental health services for adults and children , as well as experience in acute services , but he set up his own consultancy after watching an interview with an injured rugby player .
‘ I used to work in secure mental health , and occupational deprivation is a major issue there ,’ says Mark . ‘ I was watching this interview with a player who described how he got up , had breakfast , did weights in the morning and afternoon , and otherwise was just waiting for his girlfriend to come home at the end of the day .
‘ He said it was really depressing – not because he was diagnosed , but as a throwaway comment . And I thought , that ’ s so similar to the things I do . It ’ s not necessarily about rehabilitation , but about stopping things getting worse with declines in mental health .’
After conversations with several people in elite sport , Mark developed a pathway to support injured athletes with the isolation and loneliness they can face , as well as an injured athlete protocol that clubs can put in place for when injuries occur . He has also developed workshops to ensure that organisations understand key issues in mental health and what support people may need .
So far , many clubs seem to be unaware of the depth of issues their players may face , with many telling Mark that their existing provision is adequate .
But Mark is clear that support is not enough . ‘ There ’ s a huge reliance on coaches and sports psychologists , but they are not mental health professionals ,’ he says .
The day after being told by one Premier League club that their support was robust , he coincidentally met the mother of a player at the club who told him how the club had barely spoken with her son during months of injury .
Mark also points to new rules in the US ’ s National Basketball Association that all clubs must have two mental health professionals on their payroll , as well as a psychiatrist on a retainer , to highlight the need for more support in elite support .
He is now working with select athletes and clubs across men ’ s and women ’ s sports to develop more mental health support , with rugby clubs proving particularly receptive . To find out more , visit : www . willowgrove . consulting .
Mark McGuigan
OTnews December 2020 11