Mel is a highly experienced occupational therapist with a 23-year varied career. Vocational rehabilitation including career re-direction assessments, transferable skills analysis, graded returns to work, reasonable adjustment recommendations under the Equality Act, support for children/young people in schools/colleges have all been fundamental practices throughout Mel’s career with whichever client group she is working. This led to her study this to Masters level and become a voluntary work and well-being champion for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists to promote the benefits of work to nurse, medics, AHPs across all disciplines.
She specialised for 10 years with adults experiencing chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and children with fatigue symptoms associated with many conditions using a biopsychosocial-occupational approach. Through the therapeutic use of self, Mel easily develops strong therapeutic relationships with clients, advocating for their needs and ensuring a person-centred, goal-oriented treatment plan is developed collaboratively.
Mel has worked for several years at different times with people experiencing chronic mental health issues, working in community mental health teams and psychiatric liaison services addressing psychological symptoms experienced by those with long term conditions.
Mel enjoys motivating staff, talent spotting and mentoring them towards their professional goals, whilst supporting those content to maintain their status to reach their optimum within that role.
As a paediatric occupational therapist Louise has over 11 years’ experience working with disabled children, taking a holistic and client-centred approach to maximise independence and function.
Focusing on cases requiring complex care, Louise has developed specialist skills working with children who have complex physical and learning disabilities such as brain injuries, neurodevelopmental disorders, genetic conditions, sensory processing, behavioural difficulties and birth defects. With a particular interest in palliative care Louise has a wealth of knowledge working with children with life-limiting conditions.
Louise has extensive experience recommending both minor and major adaptations that have a lasting positive effect on her clients’ daily lives. She has also worked alongside local housing associations to build adapted, future-proofed homes. Louise has completed the module one training of the Ayres Sensory Integration and works with children who have experienced early years trauma to provide both sensory strategies and therapeutic play to assist the healing process.
Louise prides herself on her communication skills and clients she has worked with can attest to her warm, empathetic and approachable nature, which offers comfort and relief under the most difficult of circumstances.
Louise is a registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council, Royal College of Occupational Therapists and Royal College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section Independent Practice (RCOT-SSIP). Louise has a current disclosure and barring service check (DBS).
Louise qualified in 2006 and has worked in a variety of settings including community, hospital and accident & emergency. She is an experienced leader and manager with a background in elderly medicine.
Since 2015, she has worked in independent practice, specialising in working with adults experiencing a broad range of difficulties through physical conditions from polytraumatic injuries, orthopaedics, lower limb amputees, elderly, chronic fatigue syndrome and stroke.
Highly experienced in manual handling assessments, postural seating assessments and major and minor housing adaptations and equipment provision, Louise’s focus is to provide high quality client-centred interventions for all. She also carries out expert witness work and has undergone formal training in the medico-legal process. In addition, she is a Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP).
Fiona is a highly specialised occupational therapist with 14 years’ experience working in a variety of clinical settings including adult rehabilitation, condition management and paediatrics.
Recently working in paediatrics with children and young adults who present with a wide variety of needs including those with chronic, complex, disabling and life-limiting conditions, Fiona also has experience working within the community setting providing therapy within homes and schools. She works closely with childrens’ family or care givers, allied health professionals, education staff and social care to ensure a holistic approach, regularly supporting with the transition between services.
Fiona specialises in providing comprehensive assessments, including specialist standardised assessments, treatments and therapeutic interventions and promotes dignity and independence with daily living activities by engaging in play and fulfilling meaningful roles. She has comprehensive experience in prescribing standard and specialist adaptive equipment, postural management, manual handling and assessing for housing adaptations. In addition, she is skilled in upper limb splinting and the use of orthosis to facilitate function.
Fiona is passionate about occupational therapy and how this can enhance independence. She finds her job extremely rewarding and feels lucky to have the opportunity to work with such amazing children and adults in her role.
Debbie qualified in 2006 and has worked in a variety of settings, including acute hospitals, community, and inpatient rehabilitation. She is skilled in completing holistic occupational therapy assessments and formulating targeted evidence-based treatment plans for a range of musculoskeletal and psychological conditions affecting working age and older adults, including those who have served in the armed forces.
Currently working in occupational health, she has an interest in chronic pain and fatigue management, including Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. She is well practised in formulating realistic return to work plans or to avoid absence due to psychological or musculoskeletal conditions.
Debbie has experience working with people recovering or adjusting to illness, post fracture, injuries or surgery, including amputations. This work includes prescription of equipment, minor home adaptations, wheelchair assessments and falls prevention strategies. She also has specialist skills in the assessment and rehabilitation of the hand and upper limb post-trauma or surgery, including peripheral nerve injuries, rheumatological conditions, desensitisation treatment and scar management. She is also able to advise on appropriate splints.
An area of her specialism includes screening for mental health disorders and implementing interventions and facilitating self-management strategies for anxiety, low mood, stress and PTSD. These include mindfulness, relaxation and cognitive behavioural technique strategies.
Wayne qualified as an occupational therapist in 2008 and has developed his experience through various fields and positions including the Regional Clinical Lead for Opcare’s NHS wheelchair services and clinical lead for Millbrook’s Somerset Wheelchair Service. He has worked within the areas of stroke, neurological conditions, orthopedics and currently working within a multi-disciplinary intermediate care team using the Discharge to Assess model.
Wayne’s specialist areas are in complex postural management, training in moving and handling, rehabilitation and provision of equipment, care plans, minor and major adaptations within home environments. This experience enables him to provide quality assessments and interventions to promote people’s independence. He has extensive knowledge in recommending and prescribing specialist seating and manual or powered wheelchairs.
Lorraine graduated from the University of Teesside in 1999 and currently works as a specialist paediatric occupational therapist. Throughout her career, she has developed expertise working with adults and children in a variety of clinical and social care settings throughout the UK.
Lorraine utilises her expertise to deliver assessments and interventions across a range of conditions and diagnoses including stroke rehabilitation, acquired and traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, profound and multiple learning difficulties, Down’s syndrome, sensory processing difficulties, neuromuscular and development coordination conditions. Her work with clients also extends to the utilisation of standardised assessments as well the provision of equipment and minor works. Additionally, she is also able to carry out measuring for lycra orthoses in children and has gained qualifications in SI and Constraint Induced Movement Therapy interventions.
Lorraine supports clients in home, school and wider community settings to help them reach their maximum potential. She also has experience providing occupational therapy for local charities to provide assessment and intervention for specialist case management firms to assist with medico-legal claims. She has developed and delivered specialist training packages to colleagues in health and social care settings including education staff.
Lorraine is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and is also registered with the Health Professions Council and continues to develop her skills through training courses and practical experience.
Jane is a committed and friendly occupational therapist who qualified in 2000. She has a wealth of experience working in a very diverse range of settings including mental health services for both children and adults, and physical settings where she provided occupational therapy assessments for people with both acute, chronic and life limiting health conditions in the community.
Jane has skills and knowledge in completing specialist manual handling assessments and can provide vocational interventions for clients. She works holistically when completing client assessments and uses her strong observation skills to inform sound clinical reasoning. She enjoys working with families and people from a diverse range of backgrounds and has worked in many different areas of the UK from inner London to rural Worcestershire. A particular interest is the impact of the environment on health and wellbeing as people age and the impact on families and carers. Jane also has extensive experience and knowledge of working with people at the end of their lives.
As part of her continuing professional development Jane attends the OT Show and participates in regular mentor updates as part of her role as a practice educator for Worcester University. She is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and is registered with the Health & Care Professions Council.
Faye is a highly skilled occupational therapist with 20 years of experience working within social care. Her specialisms include housing adaptations for adults and children, housing design for social, private and local authority housing.
Faye has knowledge and skills in providing occupational therapy interventions in the management of long-term neurological conditions, specifically multiple sclerosis, motor-neurone disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. In addition, she is experienced in providing rehabilitation programmes for adults, providing assessment and risk management plans for plus-size moving and handling clients along with postural and seating assessments.
Faye has strong clinical assessment skills and is holistic in her approach ensuring advocacy for clients allowing their voice to be heard. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in community equipment from both an operational level and in procurement of community equipment contracts.
Faye is a member of the independent practice and housing specialist sections with the Royal College of Occupational Therapy and regularly participates in continued professional development activities to ensure that she is current in her knowledge and skills.
Emma graduated from St Andrew’s School of Occupational Therapy in Northampton and has over 20 years clinical experience working in acute and community settings for the NHS. Throughout her career she has had experience within the areas of orthopaedics and surgery, respiratory, elderly medicine, oncology, spinal and neurological rehabilitation including traumatic and acquired brain injury.
Emma has significant experience in stroke and neurological rehabilitation including setting up and running a community stroke team for 10 years as the clinical lead specialist. Recently, Emma worked within a specialist brain injury and neurological treatment unit in providing occupational therapy for complex cases and worked collaboratively with commissioners and local authorities. Emma is currently working in an Early Supported Discharge Stroke Team completing risk assessments, specialist cognitive assessments and developing person-centred rehabilitation plans.
Emma is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy specialist section for neurological practice and is registered with the Health Care Professions Council.
Carol qualified in 1994 and has had a varied career working across health and social care in both acute and community settings. Working with adults and children experiencing long-term complex disability needs and specialising in community paediatrics.
Carol has sound knowledge and skills in providing technical advice and support with equipment provision, minor and major housing adaptations, and specialist social housing needs which is evidenced by extremely effective clinical reasoning. She was instrumental in setting up the Buckinghamshire Children’s Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service in social care which provided specialist occupational therapy provision to children and young adults with permanent and substantial physical and behavioural disabilities, often complex and varied in nature.
Carol is experienced in working collaboratively with internal and external departments, professionals, clients, and their families. She keeps up to date with best practice, changes in legislation and professional developments. In addition, Carol is a member of the The Royal College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section in Housing as well as being registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council.
Alison qualified from Coventry University and is highly skilled and experienced within the specialism of palliative care and progressive neurological conditions. She has had 11 years experience working in healthcare settings, case management and the private occupational therapy sector. This has developed her strong skills in moving and handling, housing adaptations and seating assessments.
She is passionate about improving the quality of life for people with life limiting conditions, combining sensory-motor, perceptual-motor, functional and cognitive approaches in order to meet the individual needs of each person she meets.
She has extensive knowledge of assistive technology, supporting adults and children to make the best use of their environment, particularly with access to computers and mobile phones. Alison actively develops her clinical skills through regular postgraduate training, ensuring that her clients receive the best possible treatment.
