Occupational Therapy Service - Children’s

• About Us

  We are a team of Occupational Therapists, Therapy Assistants and Administrative Support Staff who work together to deliver a high quality, efficient children’s occupational therapy service to the children and young people of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan.
  
  Our occupational therapy service offers specialist assessment and intervention to enable and maximise the potential for children to engage in their daily living activities (occupations).
  
  The paediatric occupational therapists in our team will work with the child, family and other key professionals in the child’s life, to identify areas where a child’s function, participation and independence at school, home and the community can be improved.

• Criteria

  We provide a children’s occupational therapy service to children and young people from 0 – 16 years old or up to 19 years old if attending a special school.
  
  To access the service, children and young people must be resident, have a GP or attend a school in the Wigan borough.
  
  Referrals to children’s occupational therapy are accepted from health, social and education professionals. Referrals are through a letter or referral form with consent from the family. Families can request any relevant professional to refer on their behalf.
  
  Referrals are triaged and prioritised on receipt and families are asked to opt in to the service. If parents/carers do not respond within 10 working days to our letter, the child is discharged from the service.
  
  All children are seen within an 18 week timeframe from the date of the referral.
  
  There is no cost for the children’s occupational therapy service.

• Location of Services

  The team is based at Platt Bridge Health Centre and covers the whole of the Ashton, Leigh and Wigan area.
  
  We also have access to Leigh Health Centre and are able to offer some appointments at this site.
  
  In negotiation with families, we can also gain access to other health locations across the borough.
  
  Occupational therapy services are often offered in children’s homes and education settings as this may be a more appropriate environment to ensure that the child’s needs are best met.

• Children’s Occupational Therapy

  Our team are skilled in the assessment of a child’s everyday activities which may impact of their access and participation in their environment.
  
  We are able to provide analysis and adaptation of activities and recommendations to improve a child’s occupational performance and outcomes across a range of areas.
  
  The children’s occupational therapy service will offer:

  • Specialist Assessment of a child’s needs and identification of outcomes and goals for the child
  • Advice and Intervention on the basis of assessment of clinical need
  • An individual management plan developed and agreed with the young person, parents and carers as appropriate
  • Evaluation of outcomes and future plans
  • Advice on Transition and Discharge.

  The children’s occupational therapy team work with children presenting with a range of physical and pervasive developmental conditions, complex needs and functional difficulties.
  
  Children, young people and their families can access expert knowledge in the following areas:

  • Developmental Delay
  • Neurological conditions
  • Autistic Spectrum Conditions
  • Sensory processing
  • Motor Co-ordination Difficulties and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
  • Fine Motor skills, including handwriting
  • Neuromuscular conditions
  • Rehabilitation for children and young people following injury/accident
  • Hospital discharge planning.
• Assessment

  Once an initial appointment has been agreed, an occupational therapist will complete the assessment of the child’s needs. This initial assessment will be with the child and the parents, in order to ascertain the child’s needs.
  
  This will usually be in the clinic setting. Please inform the service at the time of booking the appointment if this would not be appropriate for the child.
  
  The occupational therapist will use a number of tools for assessment. This may include standardised tests and assessments and non-standardised observations and assessment.
  
  Further assessment may be required and this may occur over a number of sessions. As well as clinic based assessment, further observations in daily life situations, a home visit and/or school visit may be arranged.
  
  Liaison with other professionals and agencies also forms part of the assessment process.
  
  The outcome of the assessment and any recommendations will be explained by the occupational therapist.
  
  As part of the assessment process, the occupational therapist may complete an assessment and recommendation of equipment for school, which will enable a child to access the curriculum and school activities.
  
  This may include specialist seating for use in school. A recommendation for any school equipment is made to the school who are then responsible for purchasing and maintaining the equipment.

• Intervention

  Following assessment of the child/young person’s clinical needs, there may be a recommendation for implementation of some intervention for the child.
  
  To support the child, there are a range of different interventions that may be offered from the occupational therapy service. This decision will be based on the assessed clinical need, the identified goals from the child and parents and based on specific clinical pathways and NICE guidance.
  
  Outcomes and goals of intervention will be agreed and negotiated between the occupational therapist, the child and parents.
  
  The main forms of intervention fall into three categories:
  
  Direct Intervention
  
  Individual direct intervention focusing upon the child/young person’s needs, delivered by an occupational therapist or therapy assistant.
  
  The frequency of direct therapy will be according to the child’s assessed clinical needs and may be in a short block, with a review period at the end.
  
  Indirect Intervention
  
  An individual programme of strategies and advice for parents to implement with the child.

• Evaluation

  Following assessment and any intervention, goals and outcomes will be evaluated and any further recommendations will be made at this point. Information will be collated and shared in a report format with parents.
  
  With the relevant consent, any reports and information will also be shared with health, education and social care colleagues.
  
  Information from an occupational therapist may be used to help inform diagnosis by the paediatrician.
  
  Occupational Therapist’s may also be requested to contribute to Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans and annual reviews for children and young people with additional needs.
  
  Once a request is received for contribution to an EHC Plan, the occupational therapist will work within legal timeframes to collate this information, in collaboration with the parents.
  
  This report will be shared with parents, the Local Authority SEND team and the child’s educational setting.

• Moving on – transitions and discharge

  Once the child or young person’s occupational therapy needs are met then a child will be discharged from the service. This may be for reasons including:

  • Skills are at an optimum level
  • Parents and other professionals working with the child are able to implement the advice and strategies to enable increased participation in daily activities
  • Difficulties no longer have significant impact upon the child’s development
  • Resolution of difficulties with no ongoing needs
  • Child moves out of area in terms of home address, GP and school
  • A child or family declines input from the service at this time.

  The decision to discharge will always be discussed and agreed with the child or young person, their family and other relevant professionals.
  
  A re-referral to the service will be accepted should further occupational therapy needs be identified in the future.
  
  If a young person reaches the maximum criteria age within the service and there are still ongoing occupational therapy needs then a referral to the appropriate adult occupational therapy service will be made. Collaboration and joint appointments where appropriate will be facilitated in order to facilitate the transition to adult services.

• Training

  In addition to direct and indirect intervention, we also offer training packages for parents and education settings, around specific clinical areas.

• Working with Other Professionals

  Evidence shows that the best results are achieved when we work with those in daily contact with the child and young person.
  
  This enables those around the child to promote skills to their full potential in a variety of meaningful environments.
  
  For the Occupational Therapy service this means working with a variety of settings and with a variety of other people including parents and professionals.
  
  The aim is to form a partnership with families and professionals to support others to maximise their child’s potential.
  
  Parents are a significant member of the team who hold a unique insight into their child and whose contribution we value.
  Occupational Therapist’s work closely with other health colleagues to provide an integrated approach to management.
  
  This includes other health services:

  • Children’s Physiotherapy Service
  • Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service
  • Children’s Early Years Assessment
  • Children’s Community Nursing Team
  • Children’s Occupational Therapy Service
  • Wheelchair Service
  • Health Visiting Service
  • School Nursing Service

  The occupational therapist’s will also work closely with any other health colleagues who are involved in the child’s care, such as the child’s Paediatrician, GP and professionals within the local and tertiary centres.
  
  Close working with partners from education, including nurseries and schools are advocated within the service, in order that we are able to provide the best support and approaches in developing the child’s skills and functioning in their education setting.
  
  We also work alongside colleagues in the local authority, including social services occupational therapists and social care.

• Making a referral

  Referrals to occupational therapy are received and processed at Platt Bridge Health Centre.
  
  Who can refer?
  Referrals are accepted via medical, health, social care or educational professionals. Referrals are through a letter or referral form with consent from the family. Families can request any relevant professional to refer on their behalf.
  
  Referrals are accepted by post to the address below:
  
  Children’s Occupational Therapy Service
  Platt Bridge Health Centre
  Rivington Avenue
  Platt Bridge
  Wigan
  WN2 5NG
  
  or
  
  Email: alwch.paedtherapyadmin@nhs.net
  
  Previous patients known to the service
  
  Parents whose children have been previously known to the occupational therapy service can self -refer if the time lapsed from discharge is not greater than 6 months. Please call the service for further information.
  
  What happens when a new referral is received?
  
  When a referral is received it will be triaged by an occupational therapist and prioritised.

  Once the referral is accepted a letter will be posted to parents/carers to invite them to opt in to our service within 10 days.

  If parents/carers do not respond to the opt-in then the child will be discharged from the service.
  
  If the referral has been declined a letter will be sent to the referrer to inform them of this decision.
  
  We aim to make contact with families in a timely manner and all children accepted into our service are entitled to be seen within 18 weeks.

• Contact details

  Platt Bridge Health Centre
  Rivington Avenue
  Platt Bridge
  Wigan
  WN2 5NG
  
  Telephone: 03007071476
  
  Email address: wwl-tr.paedtherapyadmin@nhs.net

• Meet the Team

  All the staff working within the Occupational Therapy Service are DBS checked and have the appropriate professional qualifications and registrations.
  
  The team have specialist clinical staff who ensure the quality of therapy management and all staff are compliant with a range of mandatory training as well as participating in required continual professional development work in the form of on-going reflective clinical practice, training and research as appropriate.

• Feedback

  We value what you say
  
  We routinely ask for feedback from you to see how we are doing.
  
  This may be a request for verbal feedback, or we will ask you to complete an anonymous feedback form.

• FAQs

  Q) What happens if I miss an appointment?
  If you know in advance that you can’t make a pre-arranged appointment then please contact Platt Bridge Health Centre on 01942 482457 where we will re-arrange your appointment.
  
  If the appointment time and date has passed and you have not contacted the service to notify of non-attendance then the patient will be discharged from the service in line with Bridgewater policy.
  
  If your child still has on-going occupational therapy needs please call to discuss this further.
  
  Q) How long will the initial assessment take?
  An Initial appointments will usually take approximately 60-90 minutes, however further assessment maybe required.
  
  Q) Where will initial assessments take place?
  Routinely initial assessments are held at Leigh Health Centre or Platt Bridge Health Centre. However alternative venues can be negotiated dependent on the child’s needs. For further information please call the therapy service on 01942 482457.
  
  Q) What will the assessment involve?
  The occupational therapist will gather information around your child’s current needs. The assessment may also involve your child participating in a range of activities.
  
  Q) Is the Occupational Therapy service fully accessible?
  All buildings used by the team are fully accessible and contain appropriate facilities for families and children with additional needs.
  
  Q) Is Car parking available at Leigh Health Centre and Platt Bridge Health Centre?
  Yes.

• Appointments

  Initial Assessment and Review Appointments
  
  Appointments take place at the following Health Centres:
  
  Leigh Health Centre
  Children’s Service
  The Avenue
  Leigh
  WN7 1HR
  Tel: 01942 482457
  
  Car Parking
  
  Car parking is available at the rear of the walk in centre. Children’s services patients using this car park can have parking tickets validated at children’s reception.
  
  Platt Bridge Health Centre
  First Floor Children’s Service
  Rivington Avenue
  Platt Bridge
  Wigan
  WN2 5NG
  Tel: 01942 482457
  
  Car Parking
  
  Parking at this site is available for free however please note the car park can have limited spaces available.

  All buildings used by the team are fully accessible and contain appropriate facilities for families and children with additional needs
  
  Appointment times and Duration
  
  Appointments are offered, Monday to Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm
  
  For appointments outside of these times please call 01942 482457
  
  The Length of appointments typically range from 60-90mins for Initial assessments and 30-60mins for review appointments.

• Handwriting Course for Education staff

  We offer training courses run by the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service and will include interactive workshops alongside theory relating to the development of handwriting skills.
  
  It is aimed at Teachers, Head teachers, SENCOs and Teaching Assistants and will provide practical activities to incorporate into the classroom to help children who are finding handwriting challenging.

• Resources – Wigan Borough Children’s Occupational Therapy Service

  Embrace Wigan and Leigh
  Embrace Wigan and Leigh is a user-led charity dedicated to helping people with any type of disability and their families who live, work or use services primarily within the borough of Wigan, gain the support they need to live a fulfilling life.
  
  Start Well Wigan
  Up-to-date information relating to children and younger people’s services for the five localities in Wigan Borough.
  
  The Dyspraxia Foundation
  The Dyspraxia Foundation is a country wide charity, founded in 1987 as the Dyspraxia Trust by two mothers who met at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children.
  
  The National Autistic Society
  Provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for autistic people.
  
  Scope
  Provide support, information and advice to more than a quarter of a million disabled people and their families every year.
  
  Kidz to Adultz North
  Kidz to Adultz up North is the UK’s largest exhibition totally dedicated to children with disabilities and special needs, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them.
  
  Wigan Youth Zone
  Wigan Youth Zone offers young people from across Wigan the opportunity to meet friends, have new experiences, learn new skills and access the support they need to develop and achieve their potential.