Occupational Therapy Consultancy Expression of Interest

Section 2 of the Care Act places a general duty on local authorities to provide, arrange or otherwise identify services, facilities and deliver resources to prevent, delay or reduce the needs of adults either for care and support, or the needs of informal carers for support.

Assessment by an OT, support with design brief and provision of home adaptations supports this duty as well as supporting section 1 of the Care Act with a duty placed on wellbeing.

Currently there is over a 5 month wait for assessment by a LA OT, and with the support of OT consultancy we can assess individuals in a timely way, support access to equipment and adaptations which may reduce the need for further long-term social care services and keep people safe and well.

We are needing the support to reduce waiting times to within 12 weeks.

Initially we are looking to test the market to see who is able to meet our requirements.

1.

Volume of work - Our current consultancy are issued with 20-25 cases per month for assessment - these comprise of various different requirements, but the internal OT service have tried to keep more complex cases in-house as these often require additional visits to support recommendations.

2.

Nature of work - The nature of work carried out by the OT for the Adaptation Team Service (DFG) is to assess the client for the type of support they require to remain living safely and independent in their home.

The referral will have already been triaged to this service and other aids may have been tested i.e., bathing equipment to trial with the client.

A redacted sample of the type of assessment we currently receive has been provided which is very detailed and fully supports the current DFG grant process (content is listed below) 1.

Personal details (name, address, contact details, other occupants and pets, height, weight).

2.

Medical history, diagnosis, symptoms, GP and medical team involved 3.

Description of access to property 4.

Description of property and ownership 5.

Previous intervention 6.

Current level of occupational performance and engagement 7.

Issues identified 8.

Recommendation (including recommendations for grants etc) Response requirements- the current service covers the residents of Southend who live in their own homes or are privately renting (Social Housing OT service is in-house) it is preferred that assessments are carried out in the same period that they are received but some clients have severe health issues and are not always available for an OT visit or may have health issues that impede visits at certain times of the day etc.

Current requirements: Professional Indemnity Insurance £6,000,000 Public Liability Insurance £6,000,000 Employers Liability Insurance £10,000,000 BSC in Occupational Therapy Registered with HCPC To be considered you must respond to this call for expressions of interest (EOI) by Friday 5th January 2024 (12Noon) and confirm you meet all the above criteria.

Send your EOI to dfgadaptations@southend.gov.uk