Maddie qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2009 and has experienced a huge scope of practice within the NHS, social care services and private sector. She is proficient in completing client-centred assessments, goal-setting and implementing therapeutic interventions for adults and children with physical, cognitive, emotional, sensory and behavioural difficulties.
Maddie’s has also worked in an older person’s mental health services supporting those experiencing mental health or cognitive difficulties (particularly memory issues), generally through a dementia or injury and often required contribution to best interest decisions. Maddie is passionate about positive risk-taking enabling individuals with fluctuating capacity to remain at home through a holistic treatment plan, including therapy, equipment and packages of care. She has extensive knowledge of memory techniques, ‘telecare’ and other equipment which enable individuals to remain safe and comfortable in their own homes. Maddie’s mental health expertise does not end there, in adult mental health services she has worked with acutely unwell patients in a hospital setting, supporting people to identify goals in areas of self-care, productivity and leisure. This also extended to assessments in outpatient settings and facilitating individual and group sessions of anxiety management, confidence building and managing emotions.
Maddie’s other areas of expertise include reablement, implementing therapy to re-establish meaningful activity following injury or a change in health needs. Her work in the community involved equipment provision, simple and complex moving and positioning risk assessments, postural management, seating assessments, rehousing assessments, minor and major environmental adaptations, she is able to work closely with architects to provide a functional perspective on housing and extension designs.
Maddie also has experience in paediatric services for children with significant needs as a result of congenital conditions, long-term conditions and injury. Her assessments and interventions involved equipment provision, charity funding, simple and complex manual handling risk assessments, rehousing assessments, safety within the home, minor and major environmental adaptations.