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© University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust .
NIHR gives £ 1.2 million to help improve rehabilitation for patients following hand injury
Experts at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton and University of Nottingham have been awarded £ 1.2 million from the National Institute of Health Research ( NIHR ) Health Technologies Assessment programme to improve the rehabilitation of patients following surgery for finger flexor tendon injuries .
When someone suffers a laceration to the palm of their hand and cut the tendons , this can lead to the loss of movement in their fingers . Flexor tendons can also be injured by broken glass , power and gardening tools . Treatment for the injury requires surgical repair and lengthy rehabilitation .
The team at the world renowned Pulvertaft Hand Centre at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton and University of Nottingham will study the splints used following a surgical repair of this injury .
Many patients struggle with their rehabilitation , as the splints that need to be worn are often awkward and get discarded before rehabilitation is complete .
The research is being co-led by Professor Avril Drummond , professor of healthcare research , occupational therapist and lead for rehabilitation research group at University of Nottingham . She said : ‘ We are really excited to have secured this large grant , which will advance our knowledge on how best to treat patients after tendon repair surgery .’
The study will be supported by Sheffield Clinical Trials Research Unit ( ScHARR ) and involves collaborators from hospitals in Birmingham and Leicester . More than 400 patients in 20 hospitals will take part in the research , which will see patients monitored for a year after their surgery .
If any occupational therapists working in hand units would like to be a recruiting site for the study contact Avril Drummond Avril . Drummond @ nottingham . ac . uk .
Above : ( front left ) Anna Selby , Research and Development Manager for Pulvertaft Hand Centre , ( back left ) Emma Bamford , Extended Scope Practitioner , ( front right ) Ian Shelton , Senior Occupational Therapist , ( back right ) Nick Johnson , Consultant Hand Surgeon
Long-overdue white paper to reform social care in England is a ‘ sticking plaster of support ’, says Steve Ford
In September 2021 , the government published its longoverdue vision for reforming adult social care in England , with a pledge to put people and families at the heart of social care and have person-centred care the key theme that runs throughout the vision .
The white paper , People at the heart of social care , sets out a 10-year strategy to transform support and care around three key objectives : people have choice , control and support to live independent lives ; people can access outstanding quality and tailored care and support ; and people find adult social care fair and accessible .
To move the government further towards this vision , the white paper sets out a range of policies , including : £ 300 million to integrate housing into local health and care strategies ; £ 150 million to drive improvement in technology and digitisation take up in social care ; and £ 500 million on workforce training and wellbeing support .
Additional funding will include up to £ 25 million to kick start a change in services provided to support unpaid carers .
Importantly for the occupational therapy profession , the government also promises a new practical support service to make minor repairs and changes in people ’ s homes , to help people remain independent and safe in their home , alongside increasing the upper limit of the Disabled Facilities Grant for home adaptations , such as stairlifts , wet rooms and home technologies .
These proposals are backed by the Health and Social Care Levy announced in September last year , of which £ 5.4 billion is being invested into adult social care over the next three years
Steve Ford , RCOT chief executive , welcomes the white paper , but says that the commitments do not match the assertion made by the Prime Minister earlier in 2021 , to fix the crisis in social care . He concludes : ‘ Overall , though there is positive progress in some areas , it seems that this paper is once again mostly a sticking plaster of support and does not address many of the significant challenges that social care has into the medium and long-term future .’
Steve ’ s full response can be read online www . rcot . co . uk / news / rcot-response-social-care-white-paper-england . Download the white paper www . gov . uk / government / publications / people-at-the-heart-of-care-adult-social-carereform-white-paper .
Overall , though there is positive progress in some areas , it seems that this paper is once again mostly a sticking plaster of support and does not address many of the significant challenges that social care has into the medium and long-term future .”
January 2022 OTnews 9