This time we hear from Devon, Western Sussex, Swansea and Dorset where AHPs have helped to prevent hospital admission and facilitate early discharge and rehabilitation.
Jackie Keegan and the Okehampton Community Rehabilitation Team, Jo Northcote and the Crediton Community Rehabilitation Team at Royal Devon and Exeter – amazing work, professionalism, dedication and support. The teams care for frail older people, or those with complex presentations who are housebound. During COVID, they completely changed how and when they work, supporting each other, a highly professional, skilled team with patients’ best interests at heart.
Dee Humphris, Fiona Mckeown and the Orthopeadic and Surgery Occupational Therapy Team, Western Sussex NHS Foundation Trust have been brilliant and creative in upskilling the team and colleagues to make them feel confident with mobility aids. The team adapted from seeing elective orthopaedic patients to providing a COVID ITU and critical care step down service, a big change in skill set which may become a full time service.
Jenny Congdon and Occupational Therapy Integrated Community Therapy Services, Swansea have continued to assess and provide intervention to clients throughout the pandemic. Referrals have been screened and, where appropriate, accepted for OT assessment and intervention. They have supported the most vulnerable people to remain at home and also facilitated the rapid discharge of patients from acute hospitals.
Vicki Sheen and the Reassigned AHPs in Torbay and South Devon where over 100 AHPs from newly qualified to specialists made themselves available for reassignment as their usual work in planned and elective care was stood down. They took part in upskilling training and were inducted into teams across the organisation ranging from A&E to in-patient wards and community rehabilitation teams.
Gary Sparkes, paediatric physiotherapy technician, Swansea Bay was redeployed to a stroke ward and began treating stroke patients, applying his experience with children and young adults with neurological deficits. Due to the focus on flow and rapid discharge, he continued rehabilitation in the home to facilitate further recovery following discharge. Gary had wonderful feedback from patients and their families.
Amy Hassan led the Integrated Conveyance Avoidance Scheme Project at Dorset Healthcare and Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospitals. During COVID the project was altered by Amy and a community nurse consultant to reflect increased medical and therapy needs. Amy’s flexible, reflective and innovative response for patients who have fallen, collapsed or are confused has resulted in most people remaining at home supported by community services. Amy is being recruited into a substantive post to maintain this service.
Advancing Healthcare ESTEEM will be coming to an end in a few weeks so send in your nominations without delay https://ahawards.co.uk/esteem/
I’m still in awe of how amazing this painting of our therapy team in intensive care is!
(I’m centre front!) #rehablegend thank you Pippa you are amazingly talented! https://t.co/aM3L5gvSot— Dee Humphris (@LPdee) May 28, 2020