The OT team consists of a mix of 14 qualified and unqualified OT staff.
The service is based at Southmead Hospital Bristol and provides early Occupational Therapy assessment and interventions to patients both pre-surgery and post surgery.
Our aim is to enable patient’s post elective orthopaedic surgery and vascular surgery to maximise physical, psychological and social ability by using specifically selected therapy interventions which meet a person’s individual needs.
We aim to facilitate a timely length of hospital stay, enabling patients to be discharged at the earliest opportunity having reached a safe level of independence in activities of daily living, or following liaison with colleagues, support at home may be arranged.
Pre-surgery assessment may include provision of verbal and written information and advice to both patients and carers, including demonstrations of how to cope with basic activities following surgery.
Post-surgery intervention may include teaching new methods of managing tasks and sometimes the provision of assistive equipment to enable independence. Patients who have had hand surgery may be referred to the Occupational Therapist for a splint to be made and for functional assessment.
Patients may require an environmental or home assessment to highlight any possible difficulties about a patient coping after surgery, for example if returning home in a wheelchair. The Occupational Therapist will ask for consent to refer to another agency if a need is identified that cannot be met by the NHS, for example structural adaptations to property.
Staff members regularly attend events provided by the national College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section for OT in trauma and orthopaedics and therefore are working with up-to-date knowledge and skills.