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Above : Julia Maskery
Inspirational occupational therapist receives MBE
Julia Maskery has received an MBE for her services to children through her occupational therapy work .
Currently working as an Advanced Practitioner at Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children , Julia qualified in 1990 , working first with children with physical disability , where she developed her passion for this specialist area . She moved to Royal Belfast in 2009 and joined Dr Lundy and therapy colleagues to work to develop the new Tertiary Neurodisability Service in 2011 .
‘ I led the development of a new specialist upper limb management programme for children with unilateral cerebral palsy ,’ she says . ‘ This work is focused on the goals of children and their families . Children demonstrate improved function in their affected hand and arm , which has improved their independence in daily life , participation in school and confidence .
‘ Parents are empowered and engaged with local therapy teams in a way they had not been previously .’
Working with national and local colleagues to continue to provide a ‘ gold standard approach ’ in Northern Ireland , Julia has delivered a new regional training programme , ensuring that sharing of evidence and practice in this area , and the skills of colleagues , are up to date .
She says : ‘ I am very grateful to receive this recognition and greatly humbled , as I have been so fortunate in my career to work alongside and learn from amazing colleagues . It really is about the teamwork .
‘ I hope accepting this award is a recognition of their efforts and will shine a light on our service and occupational therapy . The courage of the children , young people and their families that I have the privilege of working with inspire and motivate us each day to do our best .’
OT-founded charity makes national award shortlist
Sport For Confidence CIC has been shortlisted for a Public Health Champion Award , part of the annual , national Chief Allied Health Professions Officer ( CAHPO ) Awards .
The awards programme , now in its seventh year , promotes the adoption and dissemination of good practice while celebrating the dedication , innovation , leadership and success of individuals and teams .
Speaking about the award , Lindsey Barrett , Occupational Therapist and Founder of Sport for Confidence , says : ‘ Our application was focused on the work we delivered as part of a ground-breaking Prevention and Enablement Model ( PEM ) that embedded physical activity into a whole system approach to adult health and social care . The project was a test and learn Local Delivery Pilot
( LDP ) in Essex and delivered by us in partnership with Adult Social Care at Essex County Council , Active Essex .
‘ The project outcomes , independently evaluated by the University of Essex and State of Life , evidenced a £ 58.72 return in social value for every £ 1 invested .’ Award winners will be announced at a virtual awards evening on 12 October .
6 OTnews September 2023