Occupational Therapy Department on show to staff

March 31^st, 2003

Having undergone a complete refurbishment and upgrade, West Suffolk Hospital’s Occupational Therapy Department is holding an open day for staff on Wednesday 2 April to raise awareness within the hospital of its role in the rehabilitation of patients.

Previously split between two separate areas, the Occupational Therapy department is now in one integrated unit between Ward G3 and the Physiotherapy department on the ground floor of West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds.

The re-vamped unit includes separate treatment rooms for stroke patients, a separate splinting area, an upgraded daily living room and a quiet room.

"When we were operating out of two separate areas, we did not have dedicated areas for working with patients who need different kinds of therapy," explained Julie Chrisman, Professional Lead for the 25-strong team of occupational therapists and assistants working in the department.

"The idea of the open day is to show other staff within the hospital the kind of work we do with patients and exactly what our role is within the hospital to facilitate patients’ rehabilitation, recovery and return to independent living.

"As well as the occupational therapists who normally work with patients, we will also have some representatives on hand to demonstrate some of the equipment available," added Julie.

These will include a variety of therapeutic equipment and furniture for people with disabilities, perception and cognitive testing equipment and hip protectors for those patients who are subject to repeated falls.

Work has been continuing on refurbishing and re-equipping the Occupational Therapy department for more than six months and reached its conclusion at the end of March.

The department operates five days a week from 8.30am to 5pm helping the recovery of both inpatients and outpatients.