COTSS-OP Launch new Research Grant

October 26, 2007 10:50 AM
  Please see the COTSS-OP Research page for more details:  

New Publication: 'Activity provision: benchmarking good practice in care homes'

October 4, 2007 16:10 PM

Recovering Ordinary Lives. The strategy for occupational therapy in mental health services 2007–2017. A vision for the next ten years.

Available for download

Activity Provision - ENGLISH (466KB pdf)*
Activity Provision - WELSH (357KB pdf)*

This document is aimed at care home providers, managers and commissioners, and is also available to residents, their families and friends, and inspectors. It offers a framework of person-centred quality indicators and outcome measures to inform, guide and encourage those who are responsible for and take part in managing, developing, providing, purchasing and inspecting activity provision within care homes. It also provides a guide for inspectors on good practice in activity provision.

Welcoming our new National Executive Committee members

Following elections at the COT Specialist Section – Older People, Annual General Meeting held on 2nd November 2007, we are delighted to warmly welcome:

There were no formal nominations received for the Chair and Acute/Emergency Clinical Forum Lead and there will also be vacancies for the Treasurer and one of the Dementia Clinical Forum Lead roles March/April 2008.

Do please consider whether you would like to get involved in the Specialist Section – Older People National Executive Committee

Older Peoples' Specialists Forum

The Specialist Section - Older People is pleased to belong to this newly formed inter-professional group hosted by Professor Ian Philp, the National Director - Older People and Neurological Conditions.

It meets quarterly at Richmond House (Department of Health). Membership comprises AGILE (the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Special Interest Group for Physiotherapists working with older people); the British Geriatrics Society (BGS); COT Specialist Section - Older People; the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Each group is represented by up to 3 people.

The current Specialist Section - Older People representatives are: Jennifer Wenborn, Shelley Crossland and Eilidh Young.

This forum provides the Specialist Section - Older People the opportunity to:

The Minutes are circulated to the Head of Practice at COT for information and any relevant issues raised for discussion. We frequently get asked to comment at very short notice and at present our database does not contain the level of detail required to approach other relevant members. We plan to review this so we can respond more appropriately to these requests as membership of this group really does provide an opportunity to contribute to the shape of future services.

Jennifer Wenborn

Attention please - all regional & local Specialist Section - Older People groups

The number of formal regional Specialist Section - Older People groups has declined over recent years. One reason for this has probably been the formation of the Clinical Forums that offer members the opportunity to network with other occupational therapists in their own particular specialty. Having said this, there are still some active regional groups, for example in Scotland. The NEC acknowledges that it has rather 'lost touch' with some Groups and are actively planning to revitalise these links. In future the Newsletter will include sections for regional and country news - not least to feature relevant policy documents and publications.

We are also aware that some groups of occupational therapists already meet on a very local basis, and we are keen to support the development of such networks. If your local network (or you would like to establish one) wants to organise an event the NEC can offer funding and other support to assist you. Any events that are organised would of course, then be free for our members. How do you go about getting this support? We want to establish a process that is quick and simple.
So, on a trial basis:

Of course, after the event, feedback will be required for inclusion in the Newsletter to enable ideas and information to be shared more widely. We look forward to receiving your ideas and supporting you.

Interested in being a book reviewer?

The Specialist Section - Older People is sent from time to time, books to review by their publisher. Would you like to be a reviewer for the newsletter?

If yes, send the communications officer your details, including your Specialist Section - Older People membership number, and your specialist area. When a book becomes available to review, we will aim to match to the most appropriate reviewer. You get to see your review in print, and to keep the book you review!

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*This document is in 'Portable Document Format' (PDF) which can be read using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you already have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your machine then the document will open automatically when you click on it. If it doesn't then click on the image to the right to obtain a free copy.

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