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Delivering occupational therapy in primary care
Hattie Stevens and Helen Rostron are primary care network occupational therapists working in Somerset . Here they talk about their ‘ exciting and unique ’ role .
Somerset has seized the opportunity to secure funding for occupational therapists in primary care , using the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme ( ARRS ) ( NHS 2019 ), which was introduced to increase the sustainability of primary care .
The scheme ’ s ambition is to increase the diversity of workforce in primary care , with research showing that multidisciplinary teams are the key to the future of general practice , and that when practices draw on the expertise of a variety of team members patients are more likely to get the care they need ( Schottenfield et al 2016 ).
Since 2019 , when the scheme was launched , some ARRS roles have been mandated , while others are for the primary care network ( PCN ) to decide what multidisciplinary composition they require to support their local population need .
Somerset occupational therapy leaders saw this as an opportunity to promote the potential of occupational therapists , through engagement with our PCN board when occupational therapy was included in the list of options in 2020 .
20 OTnews June 2022