Occupation

Abstracts Wednesday 29 June 2016
Author Biographies
Naomi is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of
Brighton with a focus on play. Naomi has worked within
a Paediatric OT setting since graduating in 2011. She has
completed a masters in Health and Rehabilitation, for which her
focus was on parents’ understandings of play for children with
Cerebral Palsy.
Social care
Session 26
Self-neglect and adult safeguarding: what do we
know and how do we approach it?
Lloyd-Smith W 1 , Preston-Shoot M 2 , Norfolk County
Council 1 , University of Bedford 2
Self-neglect has emerged as a significant challenge to
practitioners and policy makers alike across a range of agencies.
The term covers a wide range of behaviours including neglecting
self-care and hygiene, hoarding and living in squalor which in
different ways display an inability to care for oneself and/or one’s
environment (Braye, et al 2015). Recent guidance notes that
self-neglect encompasses a complex and individualised interplay
between mental, physical, social and environmental factors
(Braye, et al 2015).
With the inclusion of self-neglect as a category of adult
abuse in the Care Act (2014) there are now obligations on all
practitioners to respond to service users in situations of selfneglect,
and it, has further focused attention on this area of
complex and high risk work. Local Safeguarding Adults Boards
must develop policies and procedures for working with cases of
self-neglect.
This seminar will be structured in two parts. Part one will explore
four key areas in understanding this multifaceted issue:
1. what constitutes self-neglect?
2. how do mental capacity and human rights impact on the
conceptual framework?
3. what legal aspects do Occupational Therapists need to know?
4. the interface between self-neglect and adult safeguarding.
Part two will then introduce a new assessment tool to assist
Occupational Therapists carry out assessments with individuals
with self-neglect behaviours. This tool will be set against a
framework of knowing, being and doing, which has particular
resonance from an Occupational Therapy perspective. This
will be followed by a summary of the evidence on policies and
practices that have produced positive outcomes in self-neglect
work.
To conclude, an outline argument will be made that
Occupational Therapists are well placed to become leaders in the
assessment and management of self-neglect cases with a focus
on daily functioning.
References
Braye, S., Orr, D. and Preston-Shoot, M. (2015) Self-neglect
policy and practice: research messages for managers. London:
Social Care Institute for Excellence.
Care Act 2014, c42. Available at http://www.legislation.gov.
uk/ukpga/2014/23/contents/enacted (Accessed: 14 September
2015).
Keywords
Older people, Practice development, Practice – present and
future
Contact E-mail Addresses
walter.lloyd-smith@norfolk.gov.uk
Author Biographies
Walter graduated as an Occupational Therapist in 1994 from the
University of East Anglia, Norwich. He has worked in a range of
services including physical health, mental health in-patients and
forensic services before moving to work in a physical disability
team with social services. Transferring from the local authority to
health in 2002, in 2010 he was appointed has the Safeguarding
Adults Lead for his community health provider. In September
2015 he took up a post with Norfolk County Council as the
Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board Manager. He has published a
number of articles in professional peer reviewed journals.
Michael Preston-Shoot was appointed Professor of Social
Work in May 2003 and since November 2015 has been
Dean of the School Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at
Bedfordshire University. Professor Preston-Shoot qualified
as a social worker in 1976 and also holds a postgraduate
qualification in psychotherapy. He held academic posts at
the University of Manchester (1988–1995) and at Liverpool
John Moores University (1995–2003). He has written or coauthored
13 books, 33 book chapters and 71 academic journal
articles, together with numerous professional journal papers,
monographs and research reports.
Session 28
Sustained health behaviour: an OT led community
pulmonary rehabilitation programme
Easthaugh S, Farmer J, South Tyneside Foundation Trust
Initial drivers focused on service improvement for patients with
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease who required pulmonary
rehabilitation. The existing pathway offered limited choice and
was not always delivered at the most optimal point.
An innovative community based pulmonary rehabilitation
programme was developed which offered earlier intervention
and concentrated on sustainable behaviour change to support
effective self-management of patients with mild to moderate
symptoms. Following an initial pilot of the service we were
successfully commissioned to deliver the programme across the
borough of Gateshead.
The programme provides an opportunity for participants to
reflect on their goals and barriers and promotes self-efficacy to
achieve improved quality of life. Participants are seen for initial
assessment and attend twice weekly group sessions for 6 weeks.
Sessions are held in local community gym facilities.
The programme has proved to be highly beneficial and very
positive participant feedback has been received. A significant
number of patients have sustained long term genuine health
behaviours.
Participants have benefitted by having greater knowledge
and understanding of the management of their condition
with improved physical fitness, well-being and have been
able to achieve personal goals. In addition participants have
the long term sustainable benefits of maintaining progress
and confidence to manage their condition, which represents
improved outcomes for patients, and potentially demonstrates
economic value, with decreased need for social/medical care.
Occupational Therapists can deliver a participant empowered
approach to pulmonary rehabilitation which builds upon
traditional models of self-management. Critically this approach
enables participants to successfully understand the need for
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