Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?

According to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists:

  • "Occupation" is a term that refers to practical and purposeful activities that allow people to live independently and have a sense of identity.
  • This could be essential day-to-day tasks such as self-care, work or leisure.
  • For children, occupations mean the everyday things that occupy children, which can include play, handwriting, dressing, feeding, toileting, bathing and teeth brushing, among many others.
  • Occupational therapy can help babies, infants, children and young people grow, learn, have fun, socialise and play so they can develop, thrive and reach their full potential.

 

You can find out more here: What is Occupational Therapy? OT Explained - RCOT

0-18 Children’s Physical Health

0-18 Children’s Physical Health 

Occupational Therapy | East London NHS Foundation Trust (elft.nhs.uk)

 

The ELFT Children’s Occupational Therapy Service is for children and young people aged 0-18.

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Service for Children helps babies, infants, children and young people grow, learn, have fun, socialise and play so they can develop, thrive and reach their full potential.

They see a range of children, including those with developmental delay, physical disabilities and children who have difficulties completing everyday tasks. They offer support to help children be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives.

They work together with the child/young person, their parents/carers, and their school to meet goals which are set by the child, where possible, and their parents.

 

They are based at West Ham Lane Health Centre, 84 West Ham Lane, London E15 4PT.

You can contact them on 020 8586 6480 and childrenOT@nhs.net

Specialist equipment

Enabled Living provide the local integrated community equipment service in Newham. Specialist equipment can be prescribed following an assessment by a local health or social care practitioner.  Enabled Living Equipment Service provide, service and maintain community equipment to support people to continue to live independently in their own homes.

This could be from smaller things such as seat raisers, to larger items such as hoists to help people get in and out of bed.

Find out more information here: Enabled Living Healthcare

Contact details: 0203 373 2222, info@enabledlivinghealthcare.co.uk

 

The Enabled Living Lounge is designed to look like a real home and is equipped with assistive technology and equipment that can help people to live independently in their own home. It is for people aged 18-25.

The Lounge - Enabled Living Healthcare

If you wish to visit The Lounge for an assessment or to try some equipment you can self-refer by telephone or online, or someone can refer you on your behalf through the London Borough of Newham’s Adult Social Care Access Team. They can be contacted on 0208 430 2000, Option 2.

 

ELFT Specialist Children and Young People’s Service can provide Postural Management equipment. This means  chairs (not wheelchairs, also known as ‘static seating’ for use at home and in school).

Occupational Therapy | East London NHS Foundation Trust (elft.nhs.uk)

Wheelchairs

Enabled Living provide assessments for wheelchairs and associated specialist seating equipment for Newham residents of all ages.

 

Find out more information here:

Wheelchair and Specialist Seating - Enabled Living Healthcare

 

Contact details:

0203 373 2222

info@enabledlivinghealthcare.co.uk

Housing adaptations

Housing and home adaptations

Home adaptations make carrying out daily activities easier and safer if you have a disability. They can include things such as:

  • Installing a stair lift or through floor lift
  • Widening doorways
  • Constructing a concrete ramp
  • Fitting a level access shower or shower cubicle.

Newham’s Adult Social Care team provide assessments for children and young people aged 0-25.

You can find out more on this page: Home adaptations – Newham Council

Age 16-25 Community Neurological Service

They provide specialist advice and treatment to help people to live as independently as they can, reduce the chances of their conditions getting worse, and make it less likely that they need to be admitted to hospital.

They also help people after coming home from hospital, by providing rehabilitation at home or in an outpatient community setting such as East Ham Care Centre. 

They accept referrals from health and social care professionals, including GPs. 

 

More information can be found here:

Community Neurological Service | East London NHS Foundation Trust (elft.nhs.uk)

Contact details:

communityneuroservice.newham@nhs.net

020 8586 6464

Age 18– 25 adult learning disabilities

What a learning disability is

A learning disability affects the way a person learns new things throughout their life.

A learning disability is different for everyone. No two people are the same.

 

A person with a learning disability might have some difficulty:

  • understanding complicated information
  • learning some skills
  • looking after themselves or living alone

The degree of disability can vary greatly, being classified as mild, moderate, severe or profound. In all cases, a learning disability is a lifelong condition.

A learning disability is different to a learning difficulty, which includes conditions such as dyslexia (reading), dyspraxia (affecting physical co-ordination) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  A person with a learning disability may also have one or more learning difficulties.

Additionally, there are a number of conditions and neurological disorders that often involve or cause some type of learning disability, including Down’s syndrome, autism, meningitis, epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

A learning disability is not a physical disability.

The NHS website has more information about Learning Disabilities: Learning disabilities - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Age 18-25 extended primary care team

There are 4 extended primary care teams:

  • Rapid response team. Their role is to prevent falls and hospitalisations.
  • Referral and assessment team – They will handle all incoming referrals. They will look at the work from a nursing, physio and OT perspective.
  • Rehab support workers – They help people who’ve experienced an illness or accident live a more independent life. They can help with:
    • Support and housing.
    • Finance and budgeting.
    • Social activities.
    • Life skills such as cooking.
  • Trusted assessors
    • The 4 primary care teams are based across the borough as follows: North East, North West, Central and South. These were aligned to the previous GP clusters. Therapists work across the clusters.
    • All the teams are multi-disciplinary.

 

More information and contact details can be found here:

Newham Extended Primary Care Team | East London NHS Foundation Trust (elft.nhs.uk)

Last updated: 29/02/2024

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