Q & A with Heather Edwards
RCOT ’ s Alison Keir and the Care Inspectorate ’ s Heather Edwards are together establishing a forum for local authority occupational therapists in Scotland . Here we talk to Heather about her work and why it ’ s so crucial to give them a voice .
Q
A
Why did the Care Inspectorate set up the Health and Social Care Improvement Team , and what is the team ’ s main role or programme of work ?
Last year , a new Health and Social Care Improvement Team ( HSCIT ) was formed within the Care Inspectorate to play a critical role in supporting services to provide safe , high-quality care and support . Our programme of work sits under the banner of Growing a Good Life .
Some of the key functions of the HSCIT include providing specific advice and guidance to internal and external stakeholders around improving health and wellbeing outcomes in adult social care and early learning and childcare settings .
The team promotes the Care Inspectorate ’ s quality improvement work and maintains the organisation ’ s reputation for supporting the development of high-quality , safe , outcome-focused compassionate care .
The other aspect of these roles is to build and develop strategic partnerships across the health and social care landscape to support the delivery of health and wellbeing improvement advice and quality improvement support .
Each Senior Improvement Adviser brings skills and experience in improvement , especially in the context of social care , where effective implementation of good practice and relevant guidance is key .
The advisers also bring a professional background in a health-related field ; we have allied health professionals , nurses and a pharmacist , and their work is focused on key aspects of health and wellbeing .
While much of the focus is on adults and older people , the team also supports improvement across early learning and childcare and children and young people .
Q
Can you tell us some more about your role as AHP Consultant at the Care Inspectorate ?
A As the AHP Consultant , I lead the HSCIT and also have the job of supporting and strengthening the AHP contribution across social care . As an occupational therapist , I do have a passion for promoting the principle that people experiencing social care can lead full and meaningful lives and that personal care , while of course important , is not the only focus of support .
We currently have a programme of work that is building on the Care About Physical Activity ( CAPA ) work to bring in meaningful activity ,
In light of the pending National Care Service in Scotland , we were very aware that local authority occupational therapists needed to be represented , given a voice and the opportunity to influence its development . We were not aware of any other national forum for local authority occupational therapists , so ... we decided to test the water and see if there would be interest .”
48 OTnews February 2023