OTnews December 2020 | Page 20

FEATURE SOCIAL CARE

The benefits of joint input in social care

Physiotherapist Mark Adams and occupational therapist Kirti Gokal talk about the success of collaborative working as part of Leicester City Council ’ s Health Transfers Team

In January 2019 , Leicester City Council embarked

on a new venture to employ an established local authority occupational therapist and an agency physiotherapist to work jointly within the Health
Transfers Team .
Although the two professionals have worked jointly in the health setting successfully , this was a new initiative for the local authority .
The key function of the therapists is to support the work of the Health Transfers Team , ensuring patients are discharged safely from hospital . A 12-week pilot demonstrated the areas where physiotherapy input can aid the work that the occupational therapy service provides , such as improved decision-making timeframes , reduced care needs and less need for major adaptations .
So what are the benefits to having joint occupational therapy and physiotherapy input in social care ?
The council ’ s occupational therapy service has faced some difficulties when it is working with a person who requires physiotherapy input ; namely , the wait times for input and an inability to establish a person ’ s baseline level of mobility , when this is needed before recommending care packages , equipment or adaptations .
The impacts on the council include an increased need for packages of care , equipment and adaptations , as well as increases in occupational therapy staff ’ s workloads , and / or delays in picking up cases .
Additionally , there is a cost to the person . Delays in accessing physiotherapy input can lead to further deterioration in their abilities ( dependence ) and / or the need to wait longer for equipment and adaptations . These delays may put them at risk , so having timely access to a physiotherapist has addressed many of these issues .
In addition , other staff from adult social care have expressed how having access to a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist has enhanced their decision making and improved the patient ’ s journey .
Mark Adams is the physiotherapist within the team *, and says that his role ‘ hasn ’ t fundamentally changed ’, and that input ‘ continues to address strength , balance , function and participation ’.
‘ However ,’ he adds , ‘ when focusing on independence through the lens of someone ’ s social care needs , it leads to me targeting different goals . Some examples include when someone would like to decrease their dependence on formal care services , or the burden on their informal carers . With improved strength and
20 OTnews December 2020