OTnews September 2025 | Page 49

Community care

Community care

We identified some future opportunities for the hub to explore, including:
• Develop student placements across the allied health professions, enabling the hub to access varied skill sets and promote a multidisciplinary approach.
• Continue developing an OT education pathway, to support future students during their placements, enabling them to get started more efficiently.
• Set up a small disability equipment provision within the hub, allowing people to access the equipment they need to carry out their occupations.
• Continue to develop and implement the hub’ s policies and procedures.
• Develop the marketing of the hub’ s profile, increasing people’ s access to the services it provides.
• Research student project opportunities to support the evidence base for occupational therapy and other allied health professions.
As a final reflection, the Hub Centre Lead commented on the placement experience:‘ In the short time the student occupational therapists have been with us, they have integrated so seamlessly into our service and supported numerous service users. Imagine how many more people could lead fulfilling lives with occupational therapists based in community centres?’
NHS England( 2025) Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025 / 26. Available at https:// bit. ly / 467hxNV [ accessed 11 March 2025 ].
RCOT( 2021) Roots of recovery: occupational therapy at the heart of health equity. Available at https:// bit. ly / 3VgK8eN [ accessed 27 March 2025 ].
RCOT( 2024) Occupational Therapy Workforce Strategy 2024-2035. Available at www. rcot. co. uk / support-the-profession / workforce-strategy [ accessed 5 September 2025 ].
Wilcock AA( 1998) Reflections on doing, being and becoming. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 65( 5): 248-256.
Words CLAUDIA SOWTER and CHARLOTTE HORD, second-year apprentices at the University of Brighton, supported by SUE WHEATLEY, Senior Lecturer and OT at the University of Brighton. Charlotte and Claudia both bring valuable experience from working in NHS community paediatrics and mental health services
© SolStock via Getty Images
Age UK( 2024) You are not alone in feeling lonely. Available at https:// bit. ly / 47pjsjc [ accessed 27 March 2025 ].
Brunwin J( 2024) You can be a changemaker, OTnews 31( 12): 16-17.
Cowen K, Collins T, Carr S and Wilson Menzfeld G( 2024) The role of occupational therapy in community development to combat social isolation and loneliness. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 87( 7): 434-442.
Iwama MK, Thomson NA, Macdonald RM( 2009) The Kawa Model: The power of culturally responsive occupational therapy. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31, 1125-1135.