Hi, Meg,
Likewise, it's really interesting to hear what you've got going on in the States. My little brother actually lives in NY, but asking him anything about the state of occupational therapy in the US would be like asking a brick what the time is. As you say, the Code of Ethics from both sides of the pond seem to overlap, we also have the HCPC standards of conduct which again seems to overlap with your own documentation, but might be worth a look if you're interested -
https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/. I Will get round to having a good read of the American perspective when I have 10 minutes to myself (full-time job, part-time uni, single parent - getting a bit tricky to catch those elusive moments to think). A shame the practice framework is locked down behind a paywall, but can't have everything I suppose!
To answer your questions about my work in social care, I do indeed conduct home visits. I'm largely an autonomous worker and conduct assessments in individuals' properties but have the full support of a qualified therapist whenever and wherever I need it. Social Care in England is a bit difficult to describe, as it covers many different demographics (Child protection, Vulnerable adults, etc.). Personally, I work in Occupational Therapy within the "Adult Social Care" umbrella, which involves supporting over 18's with chronic physical and mental conditions and learning disabilities to live independently via the employment of equipment, advice, aids, and adaptations to their properties. This work is mostly funded by the state, but there are some complexities when seeking larger adaptations. It's rewarding to work in this role and very humbling, but also tends to be laced with a little sadness that most of your patients will never be well again. The King's Fund website has some fantastic bitesize videos regarding social care in general if you'd like to dig any deeper into the subject
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/what-is-social-care.
I can somewhat understand and sympathise with the struggle to obtain funding, but on a lesser scale. Our services are mostly free for the individual, as we're paid by the state. However, if we identify someone with very specific needs (for example, needs a custom-made shower chair or bed etc.) we have to seek funding from the Local Council. Sometimes this is incredibly difficult - but at least in the meantime we can provide the patient with at least some level of support, even if it's not the most optimal solution. When it comes to staffing it's generally a big issue in the UK as a whole. The NHS and Social Care are chronically underfunded and often we just go without staff in favour of just picking up more work (at the moment we have vacancies of 1 OT and 1 OTA in my team alone - and there's only 2 of us who are actually full time in the area). I also think the popularity of OT in social care is not great, especially in the area I work due to recent dramatic changes in the services we're funded to supply.
I can certainly relate to your last paragraph. It's heartwarming to see some people's tenacity in the face of adversity, but often it is sad to know that without help they will either deteriorate or simply continue to struggle.
I wonder if I could ask you a few questions for my project Meg? If that's ok?
1) What does OT mean to you?
2) Why did you choose this profession?
3) Where did you study and how long did it take to become an OT?
4) How do you reflect in your work as an OT? Any particular models you like to use?
Your response as always is greatly appreciated! 🙂
Many thanks,
Adam
