Welcome to August’s blog, the fourth in a series of five, looking at the core values of Occupational Therapy

Last month we looked at goal setting and timescales and what it means for your practice.

This month, we will be looking at interventions and will be linking your reflections and evidence to the HCPC standards.

In exploring how client centred you were in June you may have reflected on the interventions you use?

The whole concept of occupational therapy is meaningful activity. This is not necessarily meaningful to you, your department or your organisation. It is what is meaningful to your client or patient, not what is next on the discharge criteria but the number one priority for your client.

Recently I was working with an elderly lady, 82, who had been in hospital over three weeks. She didn’t want to do a kitchen assessment, she wanted to set her hair and wax her facial hair. She wanted a mirror to put on lipstick before her visitors arrived. Making a cup of tea was way down on her priorities, but by starting where she wanted to start it created the motivation, and enthusiasm for her to move forward in other areas of her life.

I was also working with someone fifty years younger who’s priority was to visit a previous working environment to work through some issues which were impacting on her ability to make decisions in her current working environment.

Unless we start with what is meaningful and relevant to the client, it’s not occupational therapy. With both people we identified the issues, prioritised them, set goals and worked out how we could achieve them. Client centred all the way, therefore meaningful activities or interventions that could be graded and were achievable.

Take a moment to reflect on your current practice, the interventions that you have used today or this week. Do you know how meaningful they were to the client? How did you find out that information? How did you enable the client prioritise them?

As I stated earlier, your practice, and your service delivery should be underpinned by the philosophy of occupational therapy. If your intervention is not meaningful to the person, is it client centred and therefore, is it #Occupational Therapy?

Just asking…….

Great CPD ✔️

You have managed to take time out of your busy schedule to review and reflect on your current practice.
In relation to HCPC standards, you have

Reflected on your practice and documented your action plan for reviewing interventions used.

Documented clear evidence of how your meaningful intervention has benefitted the service user

You have reviewed your current practice and ensured your intervention is meaningful to your clients

Identified any changes you could made, in the light of your reflections to the quality of your service delivery.
In next months blog we will review the outcome measures that you currently use.

So identify a time in the next month, just 30 minutes, to read something and/or reflect on this topic.

If you have any thoughts questions or queries, I would love to hear from you.

margaret@ot360.co.uk

Welcome to July’s blog, the second in a series of five, looking at the core values of O.T.

Last month we looked at person centred practice and what it means for you. This month, we will be looking at assessment and will be linking your reflections and evidence to the HCPC standards.

Assessment can be formal or informal, can occur once or can occur everytime you meet the client. In reality, we are assessing our client continually.

This blog is an opportunity to reflect on the tools we use to do this. The debate for the profession is do we use standardised or none standardised assessments. If we use standardised assessments, how person centred can these be? In last months blog we explored the true meaning of being client centred. Thinking about the assessment tools you have used this month, how client centred are they? Do they give you the time, space and opportunity to be completely client centred? When was the last time you reviewed the assessments tools used by you and/or your department? Do assessment tools gather numbers and facts at the expense of richer, personalised information which defines our profession.

They way we carry out assessment is crucial as it stands at the apex of the rest of our treatment package with that person, it’s vital to get this right. Part of the assessment process must include sitting and listening to the client and identifying their goals for the days and weeks ahead. The assessment tool needs to reflect and record this. So if you are tempted to dismiss this as not feasible look at midwifery. They are fully imbedded in the NHS and have taken a clear stand to put women at the heart of their practice. They have maintained a clear identity, they have initiated client held notes, they empower the client every step of the journey. Occupational therapists should do the same and stand proud of the beliefs and underpinning philosophy of our profession.

What I would like you to do now is to take a few moments to reflect on your assessments this month, one which went really well, and one not so well. In relation to them, how would you rate your ability to empower the client in the assessment process? As I stated earlier, how is your practice and service delivery underpinned by the philosophy of O.T.

Well done.

You have managed to take time out of your busy schedule to review and reflect on your current practice.

In relation to HCPC standards, you have identified clear evidence of how you have ensured that your assessments benefit the service user. You have reviewed your current practice and ensured quality of assessment in your service delivery.

In next months blog we will review the interventions that you currently use.

So identify a time in the next month, just 30 minutes, to read and reflect on this topic.

If you have any thoughts questions or queries, I would love to hear from you.

margaret@ot360.co.uk

# Client Centred Practice

This will be a series of five blogs which uses the OT process as its guide to examine the core aspects of occupational therapy. Whether you are just starting out in the profession or you are like me, a veteran OT, you could use this blog as part of your monthly reflections to evidence HCPC standards.

The first aspect it would be useful for us to look at revolves around the issue of client centred practice. Being client centred in terms of professional practice has always been at the centre of our role as occupational therapists, it was almost our unique selling point. Nowadays almost every AHP claims this to be part of their role. I feel that we should embrace this as a goal for all AHPs , but I don’t feel that this is always achieved, even by some occupational therapists. This is an opportunity to not only clarify what we mean by client centred practice, but also to reflect on how close to this your own practice is able to be. I personally believe if you are not being truly client centred, you are not acting as an OT.

For me, being client centred is the ability to see the world through the eyes of client, which means suspending your culture, values and beliefs, hearing what the client says and how they say it, not only the words they use, but their body language such as facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice etc. It’s then about using that information to develop a therapeutic relationship from which you can identify what motivates your client, their cultural values, norms and beliefs. You will then be able to work with your client to move forward to wherever they want to be.

If you, as an OT, agree with this, and I hope you do, what I would like you to do now is to take a few moments to reflect on your practice this week with your most challenging client and the client your had the best outcome with, which may even be the same person. In relation to them, did you have the time and the opportunity to really listen to what they had to say or did time pressures impact on your ability to develop a therapeutic relationship? How much is being client centred imbedded into your practice and service delivery? Rate this on a scale of one to ten, ten being outstanding, one being none existent. Think about how you could move this rating up the scale to the next level and how you will adjust your future practice.

Congratulations. You have managed to take this opportunity to review and reflect on your current practice. You have identified clear evidence of your practice and ways of improving that practice. This can be used to demonstrate how you have met the HCPC standards this month.

In next months blog I will give you the opportunity to do the same again with your use of assessment. If you have any thoughts, questions or queries, I would love to hear from you.

margaret@ot360.co.uk

Guest Blog Kevin Nudd Head of Marketing and Business Development Cambodia Asia Pacific

Top ten tips for marketing your OT practice.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling biscuits, books or building services, EVERY product or offering can benefit from effective marketing. As someone who has worked in marketing law firms for the last 25 years, one of the most common questions I get asked is ‘How on earth do you market a law firm – if someone needs a lawyer, surely they just find one?’. That is true, but the bigger question is why should they choose one law firm over another.

How does this relate to Occupational Therapy? Surely you can’t apply marketing techniques to OT? Not true – of course you can. In fact, I would go further. Applying some simple marketing and business develop disciplines will significantly help you develop your practice. So here are some top tips that might help you gain a competitive advantage. Every one of them applies to how I help market law firms; they will work for you also.

1) Remember – you’re in business!

While you might love what you do and became an OT to help people, you must always remember one critical fact. You’re in business. It might sound shabby, sordid and commercial but at the end of the day you need to make money to continue doing what you love: helping other people. Being in business means treating your practice like a business, and businesses need to be marketed if they are to survive and thrive.

2) You are the product.

When people engage your services, they are engaging you. They are not buying something impersonal like a tv set or a holiday. They are buying you and what they believe you can do to help them or their patients. Everything you do or say, the way you interact with people, your demeanour, the way you communicate – it ALL reflects on your brand and marketability.

3) To specialise or generalise?

Every service provider – and you ARE a service provider – needs to decide. Are you a jack of all trades, or a master of one? In other words, will you provide wide-ranging OT services to all kinds of patients, or will you specialise in one or two core areas? The answer to this will depend on your training, interests and, of course, the market. In a rural setting, you will likely get more work as a generalist. In a big city with lots of competition, it might be better to be known for one or two key specialisms.

4) Aim to be famous.

Potential clients can’t engage you, if they don’t know who you are or what you do. Being famous doesn’t mean Kim Kardashian shameless self-promotion for the sake of it. It means finding ways to promote yourself and your experience to those that matter – your potential clients. What that will be depends on your skills and interests. Do you have strong opinions or insights on OT topics that would be of interest to other OTs for example? If so, write about them in OT publications or social media. Which brings us to. . .. .

5) Engage social media.

It’s not enough to have a website. A website is no more than an online brochure. You need to direct traffic to that site. Use Facebook or Twitter to help direct traffic to your site. Twitter is especially useful in this regard. Set up an account, link to relevant accounts or news feeds of interest and tweet your comments away, while all the time link to your site. And make sure your comments relate to your business. Build it, and they will come!

6) Keep it professional.

On the subject of websites and brochures, keep them professional. You are OTs, not writers. Get a copy-writer or marketing professional to give your site the once over to make sure there are no mistakes or grammatical errors. Ask them how to improve the site. Make sure your business card oozes professionalism. It’s the small things that count.

7) Network network network.

Think about who is able to give you work and get out there to meet them. Join relevant associations, attend conferences and press the flesh. The more people who know who you are, the more potential work you can get. When you get business cards, create a small database and keep in touch with them regularly. A simple, ‘nice to meet you the other day, let’s stay in touch’ works wonders. And do it regularly.

8) Love your clients to death.

Once you have secured a client – be it a patient or an organisation that refers clients – love them to death. Stay in touch regularly. Learn a bit about them and their interests and engage with them regularly. Even something as simple as knowing their birthdays and sending an email greeting helps keep you top of mind. Remember, it is MUCH easier to get extra work from an existing client than it is to secure a new client.

9) Testimonials are fantastic marketing tools.

When you’ve done a piece of work, ask your client to send you an email giving their view of what you did. Keep the best ones and use them on your website or in your promotional material. It’s one thing you telling potential clients how good you are; it’s MUCH better coming from someone else!

10) Ask for work!

Sounds stupid, right? Perhaps, but you’d be surprised how many service providers spend a lot of time marketing, and then fail to do the obvious: ask for the assignment. There is no need to be coy – the more enthusiastic and keen you seem, the more positive impression you make. Nothing sells better than enthusiasm. Don’t leave that meeting about a potential project without absolutely convincing the person you want their business.

Just before Christmas I was really pleased that my families festive traditions were selected to be featured in the Guardian Weekend Magazine on 19th December, you can read it online.

What I didn’t say in the story was the big de clutter I have every year pre Christmas before the onslaught of more ‘stuff’ arrives in the house.

This year as I was sat by the fire I thought about doing an online de clutter, and took some time to delete people from my contacts and go through all my emails removing any irrelevant ones. I also took some time to unsubscribe from all the companies who send frequent but not very useful emails to clog up my life.

It was a really useful exercise, made much easier by tea and cake. As I have gone into the New Year, I have noticed a significant reduction in the volume of emails I am receiving, all of which are much more relevant. A few more are creeping back in but I unsubscribe immediately before the numbers build again.

Having each day over filled is not the best way to work and doesn’t give the best quality occupational therapy to your service users/ clients/ patients.

So why do you need to ‘unsubscribe’ to things in your clinical life more often?

Well here are ten reasons to start with and I am sure you could add a few more….

Having every day spinning more and more plates means eventually one will break.

If there is no time for reflection, you will continue to repeat the same mistakes.

You owe it to yourself and your service user to have a quality experience. In order to do that you will need time to reflect and plan.

You need time to prioritise what you need to do on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis to deliver an excellent service.

The delivery of a quality service is a requirement of your HCPC registration, which you need to provide evidence of.

Having time for quality supervision is essential and and enables you to negotiate what is required to deliver a quality service.

Occupational therapy requires activity analysis, task analysis and goal setting so you should practice this with yourself before recommending a balanced life to others.

It is essential to allow time to measure and record your outcomes or you are not proving the need for your service.

You want to have a sense of achievement rather than a sense of anxiety and stress at the end of each day.

You should be able to cost your individual work and know exactly what an organisation is paying for.

Have a good think about your daily work life, take a little time to work out what are the things you could unsubscribe to?

A little investment in clearing out the clutter will be well worth it as you know as well as I that many more things will be heading your way whether you have made room for them or not.

If you don’t want to do it alone or don’t think you have the discipline, buddy up with a friend or colleague or invest in a one off supervision session. As the advert says, ‘You are worth it’ but as health care professionals so are the people you work with.

Ok, I have changed the classic Shakespeare quote, ‘ a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet…’.

How is this applied to Occupational Therapy?

If you are a qualified Occupational Therapist working by any other name take a moment to read this.

Are you working in line with your job description or are you going above and beyond?

Most people are carrying out the job of a band 5 or even in some cases a band 6?

In my capacity as Consultant Occupational Therapist I am often invited in to organisations by Occupational Therapists to carry out services such as professional supervision, audits and service reviews etc only to find out that the person Occupational Therapist is referred to as a support worker, health advisor, project worker, in fact any other title than Occupational Therapist.

Occupational Therapy is a protected title and only those who have completed an accredited course can apply to be on the HCPC register. If you are paying for your B.A.O.T membership, H.C.P.C registration and are using all your occupational therapy skills don’t you think you are entitled to be using your professional title?

Organisations need to recognise your value and pay you accordingly. Unfortunately, because Occupational Therapists tend to not to market themselves well, they sometimes settle for less than they should until others argue their case. Indeed every person I have worked with has got a pay rise within the first year once the company realises the fantastic and invaluable contribution Occupational Therapy can make to any organisation

Occupational Therapy bring so much to an organisation and can demonstrate its commitment to the improvement in quality of life for clients. Employing qualified occupational therapists should be something that organisations strive for, celebrate and market as part of of a quality service.

What can you do?

Make a case to demonstrate what and how you are adding to your job description, if you haven’t got one its definitely time for identifying that during supervision

Arrange a meeting with your manager. Explore the mission statement of the organisation you work for and explain how you are enabling the organisation to meet this.

Discuss what further things you could add and the benefits for the organisation, clients and careers if you were to have your title Occupational Therapist H.C.P.C registered after your name.

Talk about audits, service reviews or whatever has been identified as the gap for that organisation, and how you could with professional supervision make service improvements that can be measured.

I feel passionately about my profession, after working as an Occupational Therapist for over thirty years you would hope so.

I want everyone to know what Occupational Therapy is. Everyone thinks that they can ‘do’ Occupational Therapy, claiming that it’s just ‘common sense.’
They can’t and it isn’t.

Let’s stop being called by any other name and be out, loud and proud about your hard earned title Occupational Therapist.

All the new students are arriving at Universities up and down the country this week to start their training. I can hardly believe it’s 33 years ago since I started my training. September is 30 years to the month since I came back from three months island hopping around a sun soaked Greece to start my first job as an OT.

I still remember how excited I was working with my first clients. I really felt that after three years of training I was actually living the dream, (before the term was thrown about glibly). After every holiday I was actually joyful, yes joyful about going back to work, and looking forward seeing my clients again. Obviously I was still learning about OT, and still am, but I was formulating what the profession was and what occupational therapy meant to me. For me, occupational therapy is and always has been the leader in a holistic, client centred approach.

Yesterday though, I spoke to a student who was on her second placement. She was puzzled and confused about her experience. She said the service was not led by the clients, it wasn’t holistic, and they just laughed when she asked about models of practice. She is not even half way through her placement but already she is disillusioned about the profession. It made me feel a little sad and angry, that occupational therapists working in some areas are no longer adhering to what I see as central to our core skills, client centred practice

The student is working in a procedural environment where it felt to her like bed management was more important than the needs of the client. For this student,
the reverse is true. She asked me ‘Is this really occupational therapy?’ I reflected the question back and asked her to think about it.

The conclusion the student arrived at was that she would prefer to set up her own practice of occupational therapy so that she could implement the fundamental concepts of the profession.

I felt sad and angry that she had had that experience and it made me really question the role of occupational therapy in certain areas. I felt angry that people were not speaking up about the profession and our role. I want OT delivered with the core concepts and the underpinning philosophy of person centred practice.

I am lucky, I have set up my own not for profit OT business. At margaret@ot360° I have the autonomy, control and freedom to deliver occupational therapy in a client centred way. I am still as passionate, motivated, and enthusiastic about OT as I was 33 years ago at the start of my training.

Is it time for all therapists to go back to the core concepts of their profession and critically evaluate their current job? Ask yourself these questions, ‘How do I feel the night before I go back to work?’ If it’s not a positive response ask yourself another question about your job. ‘Is it Occupational Therapy?’

AUGUST IN FRANCE OR DEALING WITH OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

August in France…

Did I get your attention? Did for a moment your mind go there or anywhere away from work? Are you summer dreaming? If so, summer is the time that we in Canada take a few days off when we can to enjoy the nice weather, or if time and resources allow, a vacation.
I chose this title, August in France, because it is a common truth that much of France shuts down in August as people take vacation to escape the heat of the sun. And, when you know that France has 30 days of legislated vacation annually, it is clear that taking time to reboot, to refresh and to have a work/life balance is a priority for the French.

Did you know…

Canada ranks the 3rd worst in regulated vacation/holiday in the industrial world with 10 days vacation and 9 statutory holidays (statutory holidays vary by province). The only countries that fare worse are Japan which has no statutory holidays, and the US which has no regulated guaranteed vacation requirement for full-time workers.

The countries that have the most regulated time off? France legislates 30 days vacation, but when you add statutory holidays, that rises to 31 days. Using the same formula, Austria and Portugal jump ahead at 35 days, followed by Germany and the Scandinavian countries at 34 days, and Italy at 31 days.

There can be debates about productivity and cost to the economy, but it is clear that many countries in the industrialized world value the ability for their workers to have time to “recreate” – to manage their stress and to work towards a work/life balance.

Occupational Stress is…

Job stress, or the more correct term occupational stress, is defined by the World Health Organization as:

“…The response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their resources, knowledge and abilities which challenges their ability to cope”

In a very popular TEDtalk on Vulnerability, Brene Brown, a social researcher, talks about the myth that we “can do it all”. We often measure ourselves against others, and are harder on ourselves than we are on our family and colleagues. This is especially true for health professionals who are in the business of helping, and not comfortable being the ones requiring the help.

From an OSOT Board Perspective?

Sitting on the Board or Directors at OSOT, we often hear of the challenges that are facing our profession and in turn our membership. There are cuts to funding in all sectors resulting in job cuts or less stable, permanent or full-time jobs, and therapists often working harder to provide basic services to their clients. There are more requirements for education and more expected by our regulators and the government. And, with changing management models, OTs are often isolated from one another and must look hard or outside their jobs or institutions for mentorship and support. Occupational stress is not an excuse – it comes from organizations, at both the macro and micro level, failing to provide the structures their staff need to succeed at their job and preserve a work/life balance.

What can we do to deal with Occupational Stress?

Isn’t it ironic that we, the profession that is centred around work/life balance and great at giving our clients advice about it, often struggle to achieve it ourselves?

What can you do? Here are some strategies that will remind you what to do because, as we all know, we already know these strategies as we give this advice to our clients.

This list is not exhaustive and is a compilation of several strategies or approaches that are most commonly cited in the literature.

Track your stressors – Or, if you can’t track yet another thing, just be aware of them. This will take you only a moment – like when you pull up to a Dairy Queen drive-thru (like I did last week) and think to yourself – why am I needing to do this? If you are so inclined, keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. Do I run to the bathroom, do I want to eat, do I need a glass of wine at the end of the day to take the edge off…?
Develop healthy responses – We know this! Take a moment, take a deep breath, think through this, use all that CBT that you know or at least learned – when you realize that going for a short walk makes you feel better, you may be more inclined to do this more often.
Establish boundaries – What does this mean? Make some rules about usage of your electronic devices, taking work home at night, taking work home on the weekend, taking work to the cottage, taking messages from work outside of work hours etc. Stick to them. And if you are a business owner or private practitioner, plan your vacations for the year if you can, so there can be no excuse and you can plan the rest of your work around this.
Take time to recharge – Everybody has a happy place – a walk by the lake, the chair on the porch, a gym or a yoga studio. Figure out what your happy place is and take time to recharge there.
Learn how to relax – This may be obvious, but you have to give yourself permission to relax once you are in your happy place. We all know the benefits of progressive muscular relaxation, or visualization and deep breathing. Use it when you need to during the day to manage your stress, but don’t forget to do it when you are supposed to be recharging.
Talk to your supervisor – Some say risky, but if you have a well founded and well thought out issue related to your work stress, there may be some ways that your supervisor can be supportive. Change can only take place when people speak up.
Get some support – You can’t do this alone and you cannot be perfect. Reach out to people who can empathize with you. The only thing is, sometimes you think that people who should be supportive are not. Recently a colleague told me of a relative, who is also an occupational therapist, not being supportive, and perhaps being the exact opposite because she is a practice owner, and there was a perception that she was “living the dream”. The “dream” however really requires 14 hours days and some sleepless nights. Don’t dwell on the negative, move on and find someone that can empathize and support.
One final thing…

Have a great summer, take some time for yourself, recharge, reflect and remember this…
Nobody said on their deathbed,
“gee, I wish I spent more time at the office”.
I would like to hear what you think so don’t hesitate to be in touch!
Lesya Dyk

osot@osot.on.ca.

OSOT.on.ca * OTOntario.ca

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Save our Supervision

On Saturday I finished my final day of a coaching course that I have been doing over the last two years. I am aiming to complete a Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching in the next couple of weeks.

It wasn’t a work thing, but there have been quite a lot of useful things that I have learnt that I can apply to my job at the University, but they didn’t fund it, I paid for it myself. I thought I was worth it.

I have been qualified now for over 30 years, which even staggers me. That’s a long time in one profession, and even though I have three jobs they are all under the ‘occupational therapy’ banner. QI am completely besotted with occupational therapy, I am enthusiastic, motivated and entirely committed to my profession.

It was for that very reason that I wanted to have a look at something else. The coaching course gave me the opportunity to look back at my jobs from a different perspective.

This week I ran a days training for occupational therapists and physiotherapists from two local teaching hospitals. It was all about supervision, the barriers which occur to making supervision a priority, the content to make it worthwhile and exploring challenging situations within supervision. Everyone agreed it was a valuable day, and went away to implement their action before our follow up day in 6 months.

Sometimes that happens in supervision, you take time out to stop and reflect, you explore issues, conflicts and confusions. Hopefully it’s then repackaged with relevant solutions, new goals and directions.

It doesn’t have to involve the expense of going on a course it could be a simple half day audit or a couple of hours of supervision with a different person other than your boss.

Many therapists are exploring the option of external supervision, to free themselves to really reflect on their job and career development from an objective stance. This has the advantage of the supervisor who is free to question, unpack issues and explore without ‘the party line’ at the back of their mind.

We are fortunate to still have supervision as an integral part of our job. It is an opportunity to provide evidence for the HCPC, how this month have you improved yourself, and how has this impacted on your clients and the overall delivery of the service? Supervision is under threat with the ever present pressure for value based outcomes.

Well just remember without supervision, you are in danger of not being able to produce your own outcomes when you are audited by the HCPC. Maintaining your CPD and recording it is your professional responsibility. So use your time wisely, do this in supervision and everyone wins, you, your client, and the service. Few managers could argue against that?

Please get in contact if this resonates with you, or if you agree/ disagree. I would love to hear from you.

Margaret

Did you know more people are paying for independent supervision than ever before?

As part of your HCPC registration you should be receiving professional supervision in some shape or form. Have you ever wondered if you are getting everything out of those sessions that you want or need?
After a supervision session how do you feel?
Is it energised, clear and focused on the direction you are going in for the next couple of weeks until the next supervision session? Or puzzled and unsure about the exact purpose of your session?

If you don’t feel energised and focused maybe this is time for some reflection on your experience of supervision.
Think about who sets the agenda? Is it you?
If not, do you set at least half of the agenda?
Do you feel your voice is heard?
Are your questions and queries answered?
Do you feel supported and understood?

If you answered no to any of the above questions, think about your last supervision session or sessions and write a short list of the top five things you would like from them.

Supervision can incorporate many things and be supportive, informative, educational and more. It is an opportunity to share and disclose your worries, and concerns in an environment of non-judgemental empathy. It can contextualise your work within current clinical governance standards. Supervision can provide space and time for reflection and it is a chance to explore and discuss a way forward for you in the next month/ two months to enable you to clearly meet your clients and your own personal and professional needs.

As more organisations begin to understand the role and function of occupational therapy, and as a profession, we are able to fully articulate this and explain what we can offer, new role emerging jobs are being developed almost daily, in Transgender clinics, sexual health, NEAT projects, allotment groups, homelessness etc.

If you are one of these therapists entering into these new roles you must remember to include the cost of professional supervision when you negotiate these new contracts and the time allocated to undertake supervision.
You also need to have a conversation related to CPD activities which are a requirement of the HCPC which you may have to evidence as part of the bi annual audit. It is easy to forget about these if you have been working for a locum agency like RIG Healthcare, you will probably have been placed in the NHS where professional supervision is included in your clinical practice and RIG have been contributing to your CPD costs through their CPD loyalty scheme.

However independent supervision is not the exclusive prerogative of therapists working outside the NHS. Many occupational therapists in every area of practice are now actively seeking and working with their chosen supervisor outside of their work setting for a variety of reasons. They may not like the quality of supervision they receive, they need something more or something different from what they are currently offered. They may want to reflect more or explore other avenues for example and it is important to know that starting from £40 an hour you can have tailor made supervision.

Think about what you wrote in your list of 5 things that you would like you’re your supervision at the start of this blog, and if you’ve realised you’re not getting the most out of it always remember there is an alternative….