An Evaluation of a Preceptorship Programme for Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 384-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Morley

Following the introduction of preceptorship as a requirement for most newly qualified practitioners in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, a preceptorship programme for occupational therapists was designed. This was the first of its kind within occupational therapy and was endorsed by the College of Occupational Therapists. Participation in preceptorship was intended to ease the transition of newly qualified occupational therapists. This paper offers a definition of preceptorship for the profession in the United Kingdom and reports on a small qualitative study that evaluated the extent to which the interventions of the preceptorship programme ameliorated the challenges of transition. The evaluation was conducted within a realist framework. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews from four pairs of newly qualified occupational therapists and preceptors during the pilot year. The findings suggest that the preceptorship programme was successful in supporting the development of new practitioners and that implementation was optimised through strong leadership, a learning culture and positive supervision. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge relating to the transitional experience of occupational therapists and recommends changes to the programme to optimise its effectiveness for practice.

2021 ◽  
pp. 030802262110094
Author(s):  
Veronica Soderberg Garcia ◽  
Sara Heritage ◽  
Rebecca Ellen Winter ◽  
Pamela Furness ◽  
Ken Wong

As with any other healthcare professional in today’s medicolegal climate, the Occupational Therapist is at a risk of litigious claims being made against them. Through a Freedom of Information request, litigation claims data between 2000 and 2020 against National Health Service Occupational Therapists in the United Kingdom were obtained from National Health Service (NHS) Resolution. We perform a descriptive analysis of the results and review the literature around litigation involving Occupational Therapists. 79 claims were registered over this period, of which 37 were settled with damages. The most common primary injury for successful claims was fracture. The most common primary causes for successful claims were equipment malfunction and lack of assistance/care. The total cost for successful claims was £1,655,771. These data demonstrate that Occupational Therapy is a trusted profession, with a low rate of claims. We frame these findings in context and discuss lessons behind the data.


2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Mary Benbow

ABSTRACTBackground: There are a number of models of patient and carer participation. Their usefulness and applicability to old age psychiatry is considered.Methods: Models of participation are reviewed and related to examples of participation initiatives drawn from the author's work in the context of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.Results: Models of participation which emphasize collaboration and partnership are found to be useful. Simple interventions such as copying letters to patients and/or carers can lead to change in the balance of power between staff and patients/carers. Initiatives which draw on the experiences of patients and carers can facilitate organizational learning and development. Involving patients and carers in education offers a way to influence services and the staff working in them.Conclusion: Participation is better understood as a spectrum rather than a hierarchy. Old age psychiatry services would benefit from developing greater patient and carer participation at all levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-200
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Chloe Romanis ◽  
Anna Nelson

COVID-19 has significantly impacted all aspects of maternity services in the United Kingdom, exacerbating the fact that choice is insufficiently centred within the maternity regime. In this article, we focus on the restrictions placed on homebirthing services by some National Health Service Trusts in response to the virus. In March 2020, around a third of Trusts implemented blanket policies suspending their entire homebirth service. We argue that the failure to protect choice about place of birth during the pandemic may not only be harmful to birthing people’s physical and mental health, but also that it is legally problematic as it may, in some instances, breach human rights obligations. We also voice concerns about the possibility that in the absence of available homebirthing services people might choose to freebirth. While freebirthing (birthing absent any medical or midwifery support) is not innately problematic, it is concerning that people may feel forced to opt for this.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Andrews ◽  
Yogen Singh

AbstractFollowing the Safe and Sustainable review of Paediatric Services in 2012/2013, National Health Service England recommended that local paediatric cardiology services should be provided by specially trained paediatricians with expertise in cardiology in all non-specialist hospitals.AimTo understand the variation in local paediatric cardiology services provided across district general hospitals in the United Kingdom.Study design and methodsAn internet-based questionnaire was sent out via the Paediatrician with Expertise in Cardiology Special Interest Group and the Neonatologists with Interest in Cardiology and Haemodynamics contact databases and the National Health Service directory. Non-responders were followed-up via telephone.ResultsThe response rate was 80% (141 of 177 hospitals), and paediatricians with expertise in cardiology were available in 68% of those. Local cardiology clinics led by paediatricians with expertise in cardiology were provided in 96 hospitals (68%), whereas specialist outreach clinics were held in 123 centres (87%). A total of 11 hospitals provided neither specialist outreach clinics nor any local cardiology clinics led by paediatricians with expertise in cardiology. Paediatric echocardiography services were provided in 83% of the hospitals, 12-lead electrocardiogram in 96%, Holter electrocardiogram in 91%, and exercise testing in only 47% of the responding hospitals. Telemedicine facilities were established in only 52% of the centres, where sharing echocardiogram images via picture archiving and communication system was used most commonly.ConclusionThere has been a substantial increase in the availability of paediatricians with expertise in cardiology since 2008. Most of the hospitals are well-supported by specialist cardiology centres via outreach clinics; however, there remains significant variation in the local paediatric cardiology services provided across district general hospitals in the United Kingdom.


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