Neurological long-term conditions occupational therapy service

Service detail

Long-term conditions occupational therapy

The long-term conditions occupational therapy (OT) service offers highly specialised evidence-based intervention via outpatient appointments. Occupational Therapists work in a variety of settings to provide practical support to enable patients to maintain optimum independence and overcome any barriers that may prevent participation in activities (occupations). This might involve essential self-care tasks, work, or leisure occupations. We will consider a variety of physical, psychological, social and environmental factors in order to work with you to focus on an intervention plan best meets a patient’s needs. We will work with patients to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to do this. The goal is to empower patients to manage their long-term condition.  

Conditions 

The team provide intervention for patients with the following conditions:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Motor neurone disease (MND).
• Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
• Neuromuscular disease (NMD)

Specialist advice

We provide symptom specific advice and education, for example with fatigue, stress, cognition, employment and changes in hand function. We work within multi-professional clinics, and offer individual occupational therapy, fatigue and employment clinic appointments. We also run a standardised fatigue management programme (FACETS) specifically for MS related fatigue. The Walton Centre is one of the only Trusts in the UK to have access to a specialist OT for patients with neuromuscular conditions.

Following the start of the pandemic we adapted our OT service to offer virtual appointments, as well as face-to-face appointments where necessary. Facilitating the FACETS programme online has allowed us to continue to offer this intervention for patients and has made it more accessible geographically. We are also continuing to develop the employment service to further support patient needs.

There is a commitment from all therapists to service development and evaluation, audit and research, with involvement in local and national initiatives to improve the symptom management and function of people living with these conditions.