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RCOT ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2022 FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists announced which members had been awarded Fellowships earlier this year - their highest award given in recognition of an occupational therapist’s contributions to their profession. This year saw six occupational therapists earn the award, including familiar face Kate Sheehan, director of The OT Service, a regular columnist for The OT Magazine. Recognised alongside her were: Dee Christie, chair of the Elizabeth Casson Trust; Jo Adams, emeritus professor of Musculoskeletal Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton and visiting professor, University of Liverpool; Julia Scott, former chief executive and secretary, British Association and Royal College of Occupational Therapists; Paul Devlin MBE, occupational therapy service lead, Southeastern Health and Social Care Trust, The Ulster Hospital, Belfast; and Samantha Shann, director and occupational therapist, The OT Service UK and President, World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). Recipients of the award are nominated by RCOT members, who are encouraged to nominate colleagues each year for the Fellowship Award or a Merit Award, the latter of which recognises special contributions made towards the profession. Unfortunately, there were no nominations for Merit Awards this year. Information on how to nominate colleagues for next year’s Fellowship and Merit Awards will be released by RCOT in June 2022. The OT Magazine wishes our most heartfelt congratulations to each of this year’s recipients and thanks them for all the work they have done to advance the profession over the years.

CENTAUR ROBOTICS TRIALS NEW WHEELCHAIR WITH HOUSING CHARITY

Motability provider Centaur Robotics has partnered with the ExtraCare Charitable trust to help further enhance the former’s futuristic new wheelchair through its use by residents of the trust-run retirement community. The partnership will see Centaur Robotics’ self-balancing twowheeled mobility aid, the Centaur, used by the residents in hopes that it will allow the designers to further enhance the already innovative technology. Chairman of Centaur Robotics Eric Kihlstrom said: “Centaur Robotics and ExtraCare share the same goal. We are both committed to helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives. Staying mobile and independent as we age in place is key to that. “Our collaboration with ExtraCare will allow us to analyse the types of journeys people living in retirement communities make and how slimmer, more agile personal electric vehicles like the Centaur can be used around and inside people’s homes. “Mobility scooters are too large and are often left outside where they can obstruct corridors and fire exits. While many rely on them to get around, they have a negative image which deters potential users. “The Centaur looks good and is designed to combat the stigma which accompanies so many mobility devices. We also hope our work with ExtraCare will create an affordable service option opening up access to users from all social and economic backgrounds.” Shirley Hall, ExtraCare’s head of Research, Innovation and Customer Insight said: “We are aware of issues in our locations around use of scooters and wheelchairs and are seeking new ways to resolve them. “We’ve been working with residents for several years on how to store them, and how they are being used in the communal areas. The Centaur has the potential to be another solution for us and our residents. We are excited to trial it in some of our locations, to get resident feedback, and to ensure we continue to innovate in our setting.”

EXETER SCHOOL GIFTED MECHANICAL THERAPY HORSE

Vranch House, a specialist school for disabled children in Exeter, has been gifted a mechanical therapy horse after reaching out to the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF). The horse will allow the team at Vranch House, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists, to take part in hippotherapy, and was gifted to the school with a ceiling track hoist and other equipment. Physiotherapist Kirsty Scales reached out to the MCF to apply for funding for the horse, which can also be used to teach people how to ride horses but will be used in a therapeutic setting at Vranch House, and the Foundation supplied the £33,777 to make the purchase. Kate Moss from Vranch House told Devon Live: “Children are supported on the horse in a controlled manner to execute various positions including sitting astride, side sitting, backwards facing and 4-point kneeling to target different muscle groups and optimise physical function. “The hippotherapy sessions will be led by one of our experienced physiotherapists, but where appropriate, the sessions will also involve the patient’s occupational therapist and speech and language therapist to work on a wide range of physical and communication skills. “We would like to thank the masons very much for their very kind grant to Vranch House which has allowed us to purchase a mechanical horse, hoist and accoutrements, which will enable us to carry out hippotherapy with our special-school pupils and paediatric outpatients.”

Registration opens for Naidex 2022

Registration has opened for this year’s Naidex, which will see over 9,000 visitors flock to the Birmingham NEC over 6 and 7 July. Dedicated to supporting disabled people, Naidex offers those in attendance a glimpse at the massive range of mobility, accessibility and independence solutions and technologies available to disabled people, their carers and healthcare providers from across the world. As well as showcasing indepdent living solutions, daily living aids and much more, Naidex will be home to hundreds of exhibitors and speakers, as well as interactive features like the Mobility Test Track and Accessibility Summit. Healthcare workers will also have opportunities to enhance professional development through CPD-accredited seminars, and will have the opportunity to meet The OT Magazine team, who will be present at the event as one of Naidex’s partners for 2022. Trade professionals will be present at the event showcasing and demonstrating fantastic new products, too. To learn more about this year’s Naidex, and to register for free tickets, visit their website: Naidex.co.uk.

ULHT DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP PRODUCES FIRST OT GRADUATE

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust celebrated their first occupational therapist to graduate from a trailblazing new degree apprenticeship standard. Rebecca Cooney, who joined the Trust in 2017 as an occupational therapy assistant, was the first member of staff to gain her degree through this route, having begun training in 2019. The apprenticeship aims to increase the number of fully qualified occupational therapists and physiotherapists to combat local and national staff shortages of allied health professionals. Rebecca Cooney said: “My journey at ULHT began in April 2017 when I started as a senior occupational therapy assistant, within the orthopaedic and surgical team. I was supported and encouraged by my team in applying for the new apprenticeship that was going to start after only one year of being an assistant within occupational therapy. The OT apprenticeship started in April 2018 and I was privileged to be part of the first cohort nationally. I was moved to the medical team within Pilgrim Hospital and I was allocated a mentor.

“During my time within work during the course, I slowly built on the theory I learnt at university and put this into practice. Over the time of the course with the support of my mentor Hollie I was able to develop my competencies in completing OT assessments, interventions, discharge planning and managing my own caseload. I will now be focussing on completing my preceptorship programme to continue to develop myself further in Occupational Therapy.” Hollie Andrews, team lead occupational therapist at ULHT, and Rebecca’s mentor said: “Rebecca has worked so hard over the last three years, pushing herself to the limits at times, to overcome some of life’s unexpected hurdles along the way, showing resilience and determination. “Rebecca is now applying her new and widened knowledge, skills and practice as an occupational therapist within the Surgery and Orthopaedic Team. We are really delighted to be able to offer this learning opportunity to team members like Rebecca so that we can retain and develop our already amazing staff members.”

MANDATORY COVID VACCINATIONS TO END IN MARCH

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid has confirmed that mandatory COVID vaccinations for health and social care workers in England will end on 15 March 2022 following a public consultation held last month where nine out of ten respondents supported removing the legal requirement for vaccination amongst healthcare workers. The rules came into place last November for care home staff, and for frontline NHS workers in England in regulated settings from April as a response to the climbing number of COVID cases related to the Delta variant. Despite the new change in law, Javid told Parliament that he still considers it “a professional responsibility for health and care staff, and others who work in the health and social care sectors, to be vaccinated,” however. Recent figures show that 77% of NHS staff have received their three COVID-19 vaccinations, with 92% double-vaccinated. 95% of social care home staff have received two doses of the vaccine, while 89% of home care staff have received at least one dose, per figures given to Parliament by Javid in early March.

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VIRTUAL WARDS LAUNCH TO ALLOW HOME RECOVERY

Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are providing patients in south west London the opportunity to recover in new “virtual wards” which allows them to stay in the comfort of their own homes “with their own teabags and their own pillowcase”. The initiative, which was brought in to support COVID patients, allows patients who meet certain criteria specialist care through technology, which both offers them the opportunity to recover in familiar settings and frees up additional capacity within the hospital. Patients are regularly monitored by staff, through contact and wearable monitors which allow the team at Kingston Hospital to check in with them remotely, while also working with GPs, community nurses, occupation health practitioners, and other health professionals. Consultant physiotherapist Salina Harvey-Porter, who leads the respiratory virtual ward at Kingston Hospital, said: “Our patients come into hospital and we make sure they are safe and we are now able to give them the option of going on to the virtual ward. “They are finding that really liberating because they are not stuck in the hospital in a frightening and unfamiliar environment. They’re able to take control of their health and understand it better in the comfort of their own home with their own teabags and their own pillowcase. “They get to speak to our team every day if they need to and they still get seen by specialist clinicians, so they are being looked after by the hospital in a safe, convenient, comfortable environment. “We don’t put a patient on to the virtual ward who is at a high-risk, they are not designed to replace emergency care, but to support lowrisk patients to be cared for at home. “There is absolutely no pressure for patients to go on to the virtual ward. We always make sure a patient knows how to use the monitoring kit and they can practice using the kit before they leave the hospital.”

NEW VEHICLE PAYMENT FROM MOTABILITY

The Motability Scheme has recently introduced a new payment to help its customers. This New Vehicle Payment will be awarded to both existing and new customers and will be up to the amount of £250 for anyone leasing a new car or wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). For customers leasing a scooter or powered wheelchair through the Scheme there will be a £100 payment awarded. These payments will be offered to all customers who take delivery of a new vehicle product in 2022 and the payment will be made following delivery of that product. The quickest way to receive this payment will be through an online payment straight to the customers bank account. The Motability Scheme provides worry-free affordable motoring to disabled people and their families throughout the UK and this payment has been introduced to help support their customers during a time where fuel prices are skyrocketing and daily living costs are soaring.

motability.co.uk