RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FEATURE
My literature search highlighted the complexity of the condition ; being multifactorial as a process without a universal definition , nor even a specific tool that can adequately measure the range of affected physical and functional domains ( Gordon et al 2019 ).
My findings did highlight the importance of shared ownership of the issue and that multidisciplinary approaches were favourable ( Ley et al 2019 ), that patients were sometimes inactive for fear of being a burden on staff ( Lafrenière et al 2017 ), and that activity needed purpose ( Koenders et al 2018 ).
What I felt was needed was a culture change ; one that made meaningful activity visible and a normal part of the day , rather than something done as an ‘ extra ’ or part of therapy .
Personal and professional development One challenge I had in the past was feeling somewhat stifled with how much change I could affect being in a rotational post ; having a finite time to learn about the speciality I was working in , alongside making changes or improvements to the service .
Knowing that my project was not a ‘ quick fix ’ and more of an evolving , organic process , I reflected on how sustainable change may be possible .
Fortunately , a band six vacancy in the medical team arose , which I felt was a perfect opportunity to secure time to work on the project , which , after my literature review , I knew had great relevance to patients on general medical wards ( Clarke et al 2018 ).
I was successful in my application and being in this more senior post meant I would be better able to lead and manage the change .
This initially began with sharing the vision and literature review with my team , which sparked conversations about how we might go about changing practice . Creating a sustainable and visible change to practice , at ward level , became my focus .
To achieve this goal , I felt that creating and facilitating the running of therapeutic activity groups could be an ideal solution .
Developing skills associated with effective leadership became a necessity . Consequently , I took up another opportunity that came about through the CIS to apply for and attend a NHS Leadership Academy .
This introduced the importance of understanding one ’ s own values , personal qualities and the way I work with others , so I can begin to adopt and demonstrate behaviours associated with effective leadership .
Shortly after this workshop , participation in the CIS halted following the significant changes experienced as a result of COVID-19 . I returned to full clinical practice in order to meet the needs of my trust as priorities shifted .
This time period did help me develop in my new band six role , working with colleagues to begin planning the format and content of therapeutic groups that we felt could run on the wards .
OTnews January 2021 35