Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, Claire Kenny has been hard at work implementing a new service improvement project as part of a fellowship with the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). She is piloting a new service in A&E at CRH, which means they now have a dedicated Occupational Therapist (OT) working in the department.

Dedicated A&E OT, Caroline Sellers, said: "Since being based in A&E I've noticed this role has had a real positive impact. I'm able to support the decision making process to ensure timely and safe discharges. I have the ability to discharge patients home with appropriate services or adaptations - which is helping patients avoid hospital admissions. And we assess functional needs with the aim of reducing future hospital admissions."

The project started in July and since then it has stopped 45 hospital admissions through early OT interventions. The role has been so successful that the initial 4-week pilot period has been extended.

Staff Nurse in A&E, Molly Hirst, said: "Having a therapist embedded in the ED has proven instrumental in facilitating safe and timely discharges home. Overall, the role of the therapist in the ED has become essential - not only in improving patient outcomes and flow but also in supporting staff and maintaining high standards of care."

Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Professor Andy Lockey, said: "Having a dedicated OT in the Emergency Department is really beneficial for patient experience and patient care.

"What Caroline is doing is pre-emptively seeing patients from an OT perspective. She's able to problem-solve and troubleshoot in parallel with our clinical care of patients. This makes the patient's journey more efficient and streamlined, irrespective of whether they are admitted or discharged.

"I don't know why we haven't done this before - she’s brilliant!"

Claire shared how the idea came from our CHFT Go See approach: "The idea came about by visiting other Trusts in West Yorkshire, and seeing that they all had a dedicated OT within A&E. As OTs we have a very holistic skillset. We consider the patient as a whole - their physical health, their mental health, and what is important to them. All of this enables us to provide assessments and interventions to promote their independence.

"If we are at the front door we are able to improve our patient's experience and journey as we can provide an early intervention, promote a home-first approach and stop unnecessary hospital admissions."