Getting into neonatal occupational therapy
Hannah Gormley and Ben Harris-Scanlon talk about current moves within the Neonatal Operational Delivery Networks to break down the barriers to occupational therapists working in neonatal care .
A llied health professionals have been identified as key contributors to the implementation and embedding of developmentally sensitive care in neonatal practice . AHPs champion the need to view neonatal care that looks forward to improving long-term outcomes for babies and their families in NHS England and Improvement ’ s 2019 Neonatal Critical Care Review ( NCCR ).
In 2021 , NHS England commissioned roles for four of the allied health professions at a Neonatal Operational Delivery Network ( ODN ) level , following both the NCCR and the Getting it right first-time review ( GIRFT 2020 ).
This was with a view to supporting the development of posts for AHPs in neonatal units nationally , as well as facilitating the development of this specialist workforce .
The British Association of Perinatal Medicine standards ( BAPM 2022 ) recognise occupational therapists as specialists in supporting parent infant co-occupations , infant neuro-behavioural regulation and sensory development .
The use of specialist skills , knowledge of infant neurobehavioural and neuro-motor development and analysis of the impact of the physical , sensory and psychosocial environment , will help to optimise infant development and co-occupational performance .
Occupational therapists are also well placed to enable the delivery of family integrated care and have a key role in the delivery of neuro-developmental follow-up and early intervention services , to support the development of infant occupations around self-care , learning and play .
There are multiple workstreams to embark upon in the journey to developing the neonatal occupational therapy workforce . Posts must be established within units by raising the profile of the valuable contribution to neonatal care and supporting the multidisciplinary team .
All this through engaging interested , experienced and enthusiastic staff , aiming for a workforce in the right place , at the right time , with the right skills – as identified in the AHP strategy ( CAHPO 2022 ).
To date , so few roles have been available for occupational therapists within neonatal services that many report feeling they lack the confidence and knowledge to transition into this area , often despite having a wealth of experience within paediatric therapy services .
According to the Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC ), there are currently over 41,000 qualified occupational therapists in the UK and less than 50 working in a neonatal post . It became apparent that one barrier facing the long-term goal of embedding AHPs in neonatal services from an occupational therapy perspective was the lack of confidence the workforce has in this specialist area , largely due to the lack of opportunities there have been to date , in which to gain experience .
Through interactions with paediatric occupational therapists across
48 OTnews May 2023
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