OT calls for more affordable housing options for disabled people
[ We need ] a better understanding of the real costs of inaccessible housing , not only to individuals , but to society [ as ] an inclusive and accessible home can play a significant role in maintaining health and wellbeing .”
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In an online post for the Centre for Accessible Environments ( CAE ), occupational therapist Marney Walker discusses the important part occupational therapists play in housing , why learning from people with lived experience is key and why a lack of housing options is the biggest hurdle facing disabled people .
Reflecting on some of the biggest access issues facing disabled and older people on a daily basis , she points to the lack of accessible housing and calls for ‘ a better understanding of the real costs of inaccessible housing , not only to individuals , but to society ’ as ‘ an inclusive and accessible home can play a significant role in maintaining health and wellbeing ’.
When asked about the biggest hurdle disabled people will face in the built environment in the next 5-10 years , she said that the key issue is still the ‘ lack of options ’ in housing .
Welcoming the government ’ s recent proposal to raise the mandatory accessibility standard for new homes in England to the M4 ( 2 ) Category 2 accessible and adaptable dwellings standard ( OTnews , September 2022 , page 16 ), she stresses that a mandatory requirement for at least 10 % of new-build housing to be wheelchair accessible would also address a significant unmet need .
‘ These mandatory requirements should include a proportion of commercial buildings that are being repurposed as residential ’, she says .
Read the blog in full at https :// bit . ly / 3HdR7yh . Follow @ marneywalker .
Changes mean occupational therapists in NHS secondary care in England can write fit notes
The Statement of Fitness for Work , better known as the ‘ fit note ’ or MED3 form , can be used by occupational therapists to give advice to people and their employers about the impact of health conditions on their work . The fit note is used as evidence for statutory sick pay and health-related benefits .
Getting a fit note in any NHS healthcare settings should be easy . However , people having hospital treatment are often referred to the GP surgery for a fit note , despite being seen in the hospital or secondary care .
Occupational therapists may be unaware they can issue fit notes directly from NHS secondary care settings . The vast majority of fit notes are currently produced in primary care . New changes hope to tackle this by embedding fit notes in secondary care IT systems in England , which will help occupational therapists issue fit notes digitally .
A new Information Standard Notice ( ISN ) recently approved by NHS Digital mandates all NHS-funded secondary care providers and their IT suppliers in England . This means they should develop electronic fit note functionality , making certifying and issuing fit notes as easy in secondary care as in primary care .
If you are working in NHS secondary care settings in England and are keen to be able to access the digital version of the fit note , ask your IT teams about their plans to implement the ISN and make the digital fit note available to staff . A copy of the standard can be found at https :// bit . ly / 41QIQIv .
8 OTnews May 2023