Occupational Therapy
Our team of Occupational Therapists are experienced in working with children, adults and older adults,
and working with people in all tenures, taking into account concomitant legislation and 'best practice'
guidance.
Our Occupational Therapists have worked in orthopaedics, mental
health, neurology, housing, mobility, vocational rehab, ergonomics, acute
adult mental health, paediatrics, telecare and litigation fields. They have
worked in social services for over 15 years at both Occupational Therapy
fieldworker and management levels and specialise in providing independent
advice on disability equipment and adaptations for the individual at home.
Inclusion specialise in both OT service delivery and private occupational
therapy (private OT) assessment casework.
Private Occupational Therapy Casework we can help with:
• Independent Assessments in cases of review, complaint or potential
litigation.
• Privately commissioned Occupational Therapy assessments and case
management for people with disabilities: for example a home assessment of
need providing advice and guidance around potential equipment, adaptations
and rehab options.
• Housing association waiting lists, assessing tenant housing needs
and assisting with issues such as void properties and major adaptation recommendations.
• Paediatric equipment and adaptation casework.
• Care Home Occupational Therapy access reports and individual client
assessments (such as manual handling and specialist equipment reviews or
CSCI assessments).
Contact us to discuss your departmental or individual private Occupational
Therapy needs and arrange a free consultation. There is more information
on our website www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Disability Access Audits
In essence, a disability access audit (DDA audit) maps a journey through your business,
as taken by a disabled person, for example someone with a mobility or sensory impairment.
It examines the accessibility of your service, identifies barriers, measures usability and
provides options for improvement. It also takes into account the nature of your business and
your budget, whilst looking at all aspects of the environment, property and service.
By adopting an inclusive design philosophy you benefit from improved customer and staff
satisfaction and loyalty; increased sales; and greater profitability. Meeting your duties
under the Equality Act 2010 (DDA) should not only benefit your customers
and staff but also your business, events such as the London Paralympics should be potential
goldmines that an accessible service can easily tap into.
• A disability access audit (DDA audit) will involve an initial meeting or
discussion in order for us to tailor our service to meet your specific requirements
with regard to the Equality Act 2010 (DDA).
• We then review your building plans and/or walk through your company looking at
and measuring the usability of all aspects of the environment, property and service.
• Finally, we provide a full DDA audit report and summary detailing strengths,
weaknesses and options for improvement accompanied by ongoing question and answer sessions as required.
• For those on a tight budget we offer a Disability access audit (DDA audit)
'walk and talk' service. This is a brief walk through your service highlighting issues
and solutions, resulting in a short summary.
Inclusion offers a free telephone and email advisory service regarding the Equality Act 2010 (DDA).
There is more information on our website
www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is a process whereby those disadvantaged by illness or
disability can be enabled to access, maintain or return to employment or other useful occupation
(British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (BSRM) 2000)
Examples of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) assistance Inclusion can provide:
• Reviewing job options and alterations with employers and medical consultants as required.
• A transferable skills analysis - identifying alternative work options.
• Graded return to work programmes.
• Ergonomic workstation assessments aimed towards the removal of barriers for a return to work.
• Rehabilitative Case Management.
• Functional assessments in cases of litigation.
• Functional capacity evaluation.
Our goal is to restore or improve our client's capacity to work, whether the loss of function is
physical, psychological or a combination of both. Early and strategic intervention can significantly
reduce the human and financial costs of absence.
Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a free consultation. There is more information on our website
www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Housing Needs Assessments
If a person can no longer manage in their present home, an Occupational Therapist can advise them about what is
involved in moving to a more suitable property.
Social services OTs are governed in their recommendations by two key elements - assessed client need
and articles of government legislation and guidance, the second of which can often restrict the OT in
the level of provision they are able to recommend.
Grants such as a Disabled Facilities Grant can be accessed to fund major adaptations but these follow
strict guidelines and procedures and it is essential that you ask your OT to clearly explain how the
funding process works for all provision, especially in relation to major adaptations.
Amongst the services Inclusion can offer, are reviews of empty properties for housing services or housing associations.
Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a free consultation. There is more information on our website
www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Home Adaptations
Alterations to the home may help an individual or anyone who cares for them to manage essential daily activities more easily.
Some key areas where Inclusion can advise about living independently at home:
• Grab rails, newel rails and half steps can make stairs, bathrooms and other areas of the home
safer and easier to manage.
• In the bath, a bath board and seat may help provide enough support to bathe independently.
If these are not sufficient, then a bathlift may be a suitable alternative.
These fit inside the bath and can lift the person from near the bottom of the bath up to the height
of the bath rim. Users must however, still be able to lift their legs over the bath rims if they
wish to bathe independently. These types of equipment come in various shapes and sizes, with many
performing slightly different functions, for example some recline at the back, some are able to be
lowered down further into the bath while others are more lightweight and detach into segments in
order to make them more easily transportable.
• Chair and bed raisers are designed to improve an individual's ability to transfer in and
out of a chair or bed independently. The height of the seat, for example, can determine how easy
it is to get in and out of the chair. A high seat will make it easier to stand up and sit down,
particularly if you find it difficult to push up using your arms or if you have any pain or
weakness in your legs. For individuals who still find transfers difficult then an electric
riser / recliner chair may be more appropriate but these should always be assessed by a trained
professional and trialed first to ensure that the most appropriate chair is provided.
• Toilet aids - items such as raised toilet seats, frames or grab rails are designed to
improve the ability to transfer independently, raising the level of the toilet and providing leverage
to assist with difficult transfers.
If major adaptations are needed, such as a level-access shower, a stairlift or a ramp for
wheelchair use, the OT can explain how these are funded and what help may be available.
Contact us to discuss your needs. There is more information on our website
www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Working in the Public and Private Sector
Social service and managing waiting lists
Given the current demands on Occupational Therapy (OT) services to meet Key Performance Indicators,
many services are looking at options to enable them to meet some of these demands. In-house services
are often stretched beyond capacity. Options to manage waiting lists include:
• Overtime for in-house staff. This has add-on costs of supervision and facilities management,
and staff productivity can also be an issue.
• Agency OTs. This is an expensive option with the same potential drawbacks as for in-house options.
• Outsourcing and Inclusion: We will cost a package for you based on the type of service you want.
Would you like OT or OTA assessments outsourced? Do you run paper records or computer records? Do you want
computer records updated? Do you want outsourcing to include provision and follow up of provision?
We believe that working with Inclusion could help you save up to nearly half of your budget, with a much
higher throughput from our OT or OTA caseworkers and with no additional waste costs passed on to your department.
Private Occupational Therapy Casework we can help with:
• Independent Assessments in cases of review, complaint or potential litigation.
• Privately commissioned Occupational Therapy assessments and case management for
people with disabilities: for example a home assessment of need providing advice and guidance
around potential equipment, adaptations and rehab options.
• Housing association waiting lists, assessing tenant housing needs and assisting with issues such as
void properties and major adaptation recommendations.
• Paediatric equipment and adaptation casework.
• Care Home Occupational Therapy access reports and individual client assessments (such as manual
handling and specialist equipment reviews or CSCI assessments).
Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a free consultation. There is more information on our website
www.inclusion.me.uk (it
will open in a new browser window).
Inclusion.Me is a disability consultation and service provider specialising
in Occupational Therapy, Disability Access Audits (DDA and Equality Act) and Vocational
Rehabilitation. With over 16 years experience in this extremely niche market
area, Inclusion.Me has a solid client base spread across the whole of the UK, and is run by a team
of Occupational Therapists with experience in working
within both the private and public sectors.
