Inspirational Story

Can you share with us your journey to working in Adult Social Care?

My journey into adult social care started as a student in my 3^rd year of training. By this time, I knew I wanted to work in the community as I felt it gave us as Occupational Therapist’s the truest reflection of a client’s functional abilities, physical and social environment and how their occupations were affected in their own environment.

Where was your final placement? And did this influence where you applied for once qualified?

This placement was my last ‘traditional’ OT placement and was in the adult social care ‘home assessment team’ at Bradford Council, where I also now currently work.

I was instantly attracted to the role – it felt great to have resources at our finger tips that in some instances, could make an immediate impact on someone’s ability to manage their activities of daily living.

In other cases, where more complex solutions were required, having the ability to prescribe a major adaptation provided many clients and carers with hope that their situation was going to improve dramatically. Additionally, having great colleagues and wonderful support from my educator at the time helped my confidence to blossom as I transitioned into a newly qualified OT role.

Can you tell us about your experience once you’d qualified as an Occupational Therapist?

I’ve now been qualified for nearly 5 years and spent 4 of those years working across 2 local authorities within adult social care. The years have been spent providing major/minor adaptations and a range of basic and specialist equipment, working with carers and family to provide moving and handling solutions, working in intermediate care, making referrals to many agencies both statutory and non-statutory, working with a client led approach and joint working with a variety of professionals.

What do you love most about your role?

I love the diversity encountered in my role and how no two days are the same, which means I am still continuously learning and developing as well as having an array of Continued Professional Development (CPD) and service development opportunities available to me.

I enjoy my role – I never feel that there is nothing I can do for someone and there is space to be creative, problem solve and think outside of the box, with the resources available to us to achieve this.

Why do you believe the role of Occupational Therapist’s in adult social care is important?

OT’s in adult social care are so important and have a massive impact. There is a big emphasis on supporting clients to make their own choices about how and where they are cared for/supported and helping to facilitate this.

Evidence reviewed by Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2008) shows there is a considerable wider economic impact as prescription of adaptations, supporting carers to care for clients, preventing or delaying need for admission into long term care and reviewing care packages saves the government thousands of pounds a year per person.

Statistics and evidence aside – I feel the positive impact of our work when I support clients to achieve a meaningful goal or support a carer who is experiencing carer strain to make their day a little easier and manageable is what gives me job satisfaction!