How occupational therapy can help you
Occupational therapy provides practical support to help you do the day-to-day activities that matter to you and to allow you to remain independent.
An occupational therapist will consider your current abilities and your future needs by assessing you through a range of conversations and observations. They will support you and your family / carer to think about how your environment (home or workplace) and your current abilities affect how you are able to carry out your daily routines and activities.
The benefits of our occupational therapy service
The occupational therapist will work with you and other professionals to provide help with:
- managing your personal care – for example equipment, moving and handling techniques to ensure safe mobility around the home
- nutrition – preparing meals, adaptations needed in the kitchen
- accessing the community – adaptations to help you travel, referring you to support networks
- developing and maintaining relationships and interests – working with others to co-ordinate support from organisations
- caring responsibilities - working with your carer to offer advice about how best to support you
- ensuring your home is safe - this maybe through using assistive technology or making adaptations to your home. Find out if you are eligible for a disabled facilities grant to help with home adaptations
Who can use our occupational therapy service
An occupational therapy assessment is available to anyone over the age of 18 to assess their needs.
This assessment alongside the national eligibility criteria in the Care Act 2014 will determine if you are eligible for occupational therapy.
Contact us
You can ask to be referred to our occupational therapy team for yourself, or on behalf of some else. This can be done online by completing an online self-assessment form. Please note that we are experiencing high levels of demand, which means we may not be able to arrange an assessment as quickly as we would like. If you have contacted us and are waiting for a response, please be assured that we have received your information and will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can contact us to have a conversation about what support and information you may need from us. We will also provide information about partner organisations that can help.
Hospital colleagues
Your involvement with occupational therapy may start in hospital. When you are medically discharged to go home, our occupational therapists will follow on with any support required in your home.
Already receiving support from our health and adult services
If you are already receiving support from a social care professional and feel that you would benefit from an occupational therapy assessment, please ask them for a referral.
Paying for care
You may need to pay towards some of our services, but others may be free.
You could be eligible for financial support from us to help pay for these services. How much support you receive will depend on the amount of savings and / or financial assets that you have. You will therefore need to complete a financial assessment.
Visit our paying for care page for further information.