AWARDS FEATURE
Jan herself gained a master ’ s degree in rehabilitation from Southampton University . She trained in the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills , which is one of the few measures to accurate identify level of functional performance , and became a tutor , lecturing internationally .
Jan has taken a leading role in her professional association , serving as a nationally-elected member of the Council of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists . She was very active in RCOT affairs , founded NANOT ( now the RCOT Specialist Section for Neurological Practice ), was chair of OTIP and founded and chaired the Medico-legal forum .
She has contributed over the years to the development of professional standards , establishing working parties and writing guidelines , always actively advocating the role of occupational therapy .
Jan was one of the first care and occupational therapy expert witnesses , and she has written hundreds of medico-legal reports and many times given evidence in Court in relation to personal injury and medical negligence cases .
Her ground-breaking work ensured occupational therapists are now considered essential experts where care and equipment needs are identified . Her trademarked report format is widely recognised as gold standard , and she has trained many occupational therapists to become experts .
As a case manager , she has herself case managed some of the most catastrophically injured individuals , with multiple disabilities and complex home and social situations .
Through her company , Harrison Associates , Jan has employed , or provided work , for more than 150 occupational therapists and other health professionals including nurses , physiotherapists , speech and language therapists , social workers , and psychologists who themselves provide case management and expert witness services to clients .
Through Harrison Training , Jan organised specialist post-qualification education and training for occupational therapists in the fields of neurological rehabilitation , outcome measurement and functional assessment .
Jan helped to forge the creation of the Case Management Society of the UK and was a director at a critical point as case management emerged as a positive new service . She went on to lead the Standards , Research and Ethics committee with production of a Code of Ethics and the organisational Standards of Practice . She retired from her company in 2020 .
‘ I was deeply moved that my colleagues made the lengthy nomination , and feel honoured to be given the award . It is all due to collaboration and support from others I have been privileged to work with over the years ,’ she said .
Elaine Hunter Qualifying from St Johns College , York ( now York St John ’ s University ) in 1985 , Elaine started working in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital , which was at the forefront of occupational therapy practice . She has continued a career in adult mental health working in a range of practice settings including acute admissions , day hospitals , intensive psychiatric care unit , forensic psychiatry .
Elaine has held a range of formal leadership positions as Head IV Occupational Therapist , West Fife District General Hospital and then Head III of the Specialist Services Directorate , Royal Edinburgh Hospital . Increasingly she held strategic roles as occupational therapy trust adviser to Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust and then an AHP practice education lead at NHS Education for Scotland .
Her commitment to understand how to better affect change led her to undertake an BSc ( Hons ) in Health Studies in 1991 and then an MSc in Occupational Therapy in 2007 , at Queen Margaret University .
For her MSc , she undertook a research study exploring AHP managers ’ perceptions and understanding of their role as a facilitator in implementing evidence-based practice . Elaine ’ s strong leadership skills were recognised , and she was appointed to lead strategy at national level , initially as allied health professional mental health adviser , Scottish Government , and then her current post as the national allied health professional consultant , Alzheimer Scotland and Scottish Government ( 2012 to present ).
When working for the Mental Health Directorate , Scottish Government , she spearheaded the production of a high level AHP mental health strategy document looking at the role of AHPs in mental health , called Realising potential .
Elaine was commissioned to lead and create an evidence-based document as a key commitment in Scotland ’ s dementia strategy , culminating in Connecting people , connecting support ( Alzheimer Scotland 2017 ) and the follow up impact report , Connecting people , connecting support in action ( Alzheimer Scotland 2020 ). Elaine has been a lead author on nine national AHP policy documents .
Elaine constantly campaigns to ensure that the voice of people with the lived experience of mental health and dementia are at the heart of all she does . For instance , when commissioned by Scottish Government to lead and write an evidence-based document , she created a forum that brought together people with dementia , their supporters , occupational therapists and AHPs .
As a result , service users were able to contribute directly to policy making and to gain an understanding of how occupational therapists and AHPs could enhance their every-day lives .
OTnews October 2021 51