Occupational Therapy Photo showing and Occupational Therapist with Elderly Lady

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy involves Occupational Therapists working with people who have a range of physical, mental or social difficulties, the causes of which can vary. There can be difficulties beginning at birth or as a result of an accident, illness or ageing.

Occupational Therapists and therapy consider the individual as a whole and enable them to maximise their physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and functional potential through purposeful occupation, as part of a rehabilitation process. Occupational Therapists encourage individuals to do activities independently to the best of their ability.

The result of the intervention and therapy enables people to make choices and achieve a personally acceptable lifestyle. This can be either the preparation for or return to work, or the development of the quality use of time through leisure, education, training or voluntary work, with the goal of maximising health and function.

Occupational Therapists and therapy utilise a wide variety of strategies and techniques to assist people to achieve their goals and to promote recovery and independence, often finding solutions which are easy to implement and not identified by others in the treating team. Their perspective of performance and activity makes the Occupational Therapists’ approach different from that of both a Nurse and Physiotherapist.

Occupational Therapists and Therapy, knowledge, skills and attitude:

  • Understand Health and ill health. Physical and mental health
  • Trained in activity/task analysis, such as grading the activity for the individual.
  • Experienced in problem-solving difficult situations and health needs.
  • Able to assess the person, job and the environment.
  • Skilled at focusing on function and reducing the impact of illness or injury.
  • Trained in assessment, observation and treatment techniques.
  • Good communicators and coordinators.
  • Able to understand the rehabilitation process and be skilled team players.
  • Understand Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches to rehabilitation and condition management principles.
  • Understand the roles of other health professionals and individual rehabilitation requirements
  • Outcome-oriented.
  • Cost-benefit analysis aware.
  • Mediation for the worker and employee. Collaboration is positive respect, believing that the client and the employer both hold expert knowledge regarding the situation.
  • Assertive and able to face and resolve conflict situations.
  • Understand the Equality Act 2010 and other legislation relevant to the individual.
  • Use specific assessment tools to make the information gained more objective than subjective.
  • Professional, discerning and optimistic.
  • Understand that work is good for you and long-term unemployment leads to poor health.

Recent Posts

Testimonials

ARK Schools

Healthywork Clients - Capital Group

Ergonomic Assessments at ARK in London and at one of the Academies in Elephant and Castle, South london, assessing the ergonomic needs of teachers.

ARK Schools, based in Central london

AME

Healthywork Clients - AME

Alison has carried out 100s of assessments for AME some of which have involved multi disciplinary work with other stakeholders such as physiotherapists, computer technicians. Her work with the NHS and medical knowledge has brought an enhanced level of credibility to the work based employment assessment that she undertakes.

Clients trust her, she is diplomatic and highly professional at all times even when placed under considerable pressure to meet tight deadlines and juggle conflicting priorities.

Andy Taylor, Access Made Easy

Atos Healthcare

Assessments for Atos Healthcare

Alison has provided a regular service to Atos Healthcare since July 2007. She is professional, flexible and delivers to timescales and her services have been valued by us and our customer Royal Mail.

Mrs Santu Bhudia, Atos Healthcare

Capital International

Healthywork were very efficient and able to help us with several situations. If you need a fresh pair of eyes with a medical focus to look at an employee health issue, I would recommend them.

Jo Byrne, Central London

UNUM

Healthywork Clients - Unum

Alison is professional at all times, she is easy to work with, adaptable and open to discussing how, through the reports she produces she can meet the changing needs of her clients.

Elaine Cook

CHP Consulting

Healthywork Clients - CHP Consulting

When standard instructions on worstation ergonomics didn’t result in any improvement in back pain, Alison provided expert professional guidance. This was constructive, practical and demonstrated the value of experience in this area.

Mr Antony Moss

HEFCE

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Healthywork Ltd have been extremely helpful over the last year and provided us with a very good service at very short notice.

The quality of their work place assessment reports and recommendations are extremely high. In addition, the employees involved have commented on the extremely helpful knowledge and support provided by the work place assessor.

(Assessments provided in Bristol and Central London).

Sarah de Vere, HR Manager, Higher Education Funding Council for England, based in Bristol
HEFCE

Qualification Curriculum Authority

Healthywork Clients - QCDA

Friendly, helpful and informative, since Healthywork assessed my workstation and advised me, my bad back is better. What more do I need to say?

Mr Sam Morris, Qualification Curriculum Authority, Central london

Ergonomic Assessment testimonial by Capita

Ergonomic Assessment testimonial by Capita

Ergonomic Assessment testimonial by Capita

I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Alison Biggs from Healthywork Ltd. The reason is simple: she will provide the service that you require.

Healthywork delivered approx 750 Ergonomic Assessment to the customer Royal Bank of Scotland, and other companies in the RBS group such as Direct Line, NIG Insurance, Churchill Insurance, Coutts & Drummonds. Assessments were conducted all over the UK as bank branch and regional office assessments were required.

Fiona Colegrave

KMG Health Partners Ltd

Healthywork Clients - KMG

Alison Biggs has been a Specialised Assessor on KMG Health Partners roster since its UK inception in 2004. We highly recommend her based on her knowledge, skills, diversity, quality and client / customer care. She has also been extremely flexible with scheduling and geographic locations. You can expect positive outcomes from accessing her service.

Ergonomic Assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations and Job Demands Analysis for clients over the UK: including, Devon, Bristol, Kent, London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Bedfordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland.

Gail Kovacs