Occupational Therapy Week 2025: Meet Elizabeth Hart

We’re celebrating Occupational Therapy (OT) Week (3-9 November) and this year’s theme is ‘Right support, right time: Unlocking the power of OT’ – with a focus on prevention and early intervention.

As part of the week, we’re sharing stories about our fantastic occupational therapists within the Trust and how they make a difference every day.

Hello my name is… Elizabeth Hart

I work in… the neighbourhood rehabilitation service, intermediate care pathway.

How my role supports the shift to prevention and early intervention… My role primarily involves supporting my colleagues and overseeing the caseload of the more complex patients receiving rehabilitation within their own homes, and within care homes.

This directly links to supporting the shift to prevention and early intervention in the following ways:

• I support colleagues in ensuring therapy interventions are provided in a prompt manner for those that have been unwell, becoming frail, experienced falls, or who have been in hospital, leading to reduced mobility or difficulties with transfers or engagement in their activities of daily living
• I support the focus of the team to promote self-management of activities of daily living and educating family on how best to support their loves ones where appropriate. When formal care is needed, we aim for singled-handed care where possible and avoid over-prescribing of equipment. Thinking holistically, we always try to consider anticipated future needs, as well as current needs, as this allows us to be proactive within reason, and reduce the need to respond in a crisis situation later down the line
• When appropriate, I support colleagues in taking all the necessary steps to avoid hospital admissions, including the completion of personalised escalation plans that should be considered to first support a patient at home, before considering a step-up bed or hospital admission
• I support my colleagues with the care of patients who express their wish to receive end of life care at home. I support these patients and staff with advanced care planning for end of life using the Barnsley Future Care Planning document, capturing wishes and preferences. My role guides the team to ensure the relevant multidisciplinary team is involved, and that all steps have been taken to provide the required equipment and care needed for this stage. This aims to prevent the need for patients to be cared for in an undesired environment; and fulfilling their expressed wish

Thank you Elizabeth for everything you and our occupational therapists do to make the lives of the people in our care better.