I met the the secret backbone to Warrington Hospital

As part of ‘Occupational Therapy Week,’ I visited Warrington Hospital’s uniquely run group of Occupational Therapists.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) are holistic healthcare professionals, who prioritise ensuring that patients can live their best lives. OTs work with patients to set specific achievable goals based on activities important to their lives.

The best example of this came in a discussion with Occupational Therapist Elizabeth Brown.

A common placement for Warrington’s OTs is the stroke unit of the hospital – where they will work with stroke survivors to help them return to living their best lives.

Elizabeth told me a story of a mother to a newborn child who suffered a stroke – and set one specific goal with the OT team. To be able to change a nappy one-handed.

In the aftermath of their stroke, Elizabeth’s patient struggled with being unable to support their husband in childcare. By setting a goal focused entirely on rectifying this, the patient saw remarkable improvements in her balance, her ability to grip, and her control over her one working hand.

The team even worked with the husband to help him become more comfortable giving up some of the responsibilities he’d been forced to give up.

Elizabeth Brown wasn’t simply telling the patient to complete exercises with an arbitrary goal – she helped a mother be able to comfortably hold her child and change their nappy again.

When I visited Warrington’s OTs they were initially quiet and mostly unwilling, beyond occasional inputs, to talk beyond letting Rachel Bold, the Therapy Manager, take the reins.

Rachel Bold (centre) with preceptees Niamh Greene and Emma Bromilow (Image: Newsquest)

The one question that received murmurs and chatter across the group? “So, I’ve heard this is considered a fairly misunderstood profession?”

A friend who works as an OT in a different trust had told me as much – but the instant reaction showed clearly how much work needs to be done to show off the incredible work done by OTs.

Natalie Meaden, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, told me OTs jobs were: “Supporting people with the lives they want to live.”

Rachel Bold went on to say that oftentimes ‘OTs are fighting for our patients’. The Occupational Therapy team has a unique position in assessing the needs of patients – and whether hospital or home is best for them.

This can in some cases mean arguing that a hospital stay would worsen a patient's care, and carrying out holistic assessments with social care teams for what can be changed at home in place of hospital time.

On the other hand, however, the team told me of times when they had to fight to keep a patient in hospital – who was physically capable of leaving but mentally or psychologically unprepared to return to normal life.

Ms Bold went on to tell me about the unique ways in which Warrington Hospital Trust is approaching the issues facing the profession in today’s climate.

One is an issue faced across the entirety of the NHS: staffing issues.

‘Funding is at the heart of the staffing issues’ I was told, but also that the strain of Covid-19 had led to an exodus across the NHS of staff.

Warrington’s Hospital Trust has been creative in its solution to these problems though.

Samuel Jonathon (left) and Emi Qgola (right) (Image: Newsquest)

The OT team is aided by a pair of highly qualified practitioners recruited from abroad, Samuel Jonathon from India, and Emi Qgola from South Africa, who are able to bring expertise and unique perspectives to the team.

The final part of Warrington’s unique approach is its specific approach to newcomers.

Niamh Greene and Emma Bromilow, both recent graduates of Salford University, are the newly appointed preceptees of the team – a term for newcomers who work under others to learn the ropes of the job.

Ms Bold spoke of ‘the importance of fostering resilience, whilst also supporting them to learn the job.’

The team, which represents the backbone of the NHS, is clearly run in a unique way that brings the best out of everyone.

The importance and individual specificity of the work of OTs to me was summed up by a story told to me by Thomas Shaw.

“I had a patient with long Covid, and what actually really helped him was woodworking,” Thomas said.

Low-pressure exercise, minimal exertion, whilst building up their energy levels through a creative and enjoyable medium – this was yet another example of how the OT team is thinking outside of the box to get the best for their patients.