Occupational Therapy Services
What do we do?
The service is made up of qualified Occupational Therapists and support staff, known as Occupational Therapy Assessors. We provide a range of services to people with a permanent and substantial physical disability living in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
We aim to help people to keep as safe and as independent as possible in their own homes. By talking to people about what they are able to do and what they find difficult, we can then advise on the different ways their needs can be met. This is called an assessment and may lead to the offer of services, as appropriate.
Unfortunately, we cannot help those with a short-term disability or medical problem. If you are in this situation, please contact your own family doctor for help. You may also find our booklet, Guide to Daily Living Services and Information for Older and Disabled People, helpful. The guide includes useful information on mail order companies, wheelchair suppliers, the Kingston Shopmobility Scheme, and other national associations and organisations offering help.
Contact us
Occupational Therapy Initial Response Team (OTIRT)
Our office ours are Monday to Friday 09.00 - 12.00.
Telephone: 020 8547 6621
Fax: 020 8547 6620
Email: OTIRT@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can the Occupational Therapy service help me?
- Are there any charges?
- How do I apply for a service?
- What happens when I apply?
- How soon can I expect to be seen?
- Where can I buy equipment?
How can the Occupational Therapy service help you?
We can help you in many different ways such as:
- Offer you information and advice on managing any difficulties you may have, for example, difficulties getting in and out of bed, getting on and off the toilet, difficulties with your personal care or negotiating steps and stairs
- Provide you with equipment to help with your daily living and personal care needs, for example, specialised shower chairs, commodes, raised toilet seats, hoists, showerboards and bathlifts
- Recommend adaptations to your home which may be as basic as the provision of grab rails or stair rails, to larger adaptations such as ceiling track hoists, ramps, stairlifts, level access showers, and adapted kitchens
- Refer you to other services that may be able to help you, for example, social workers, the wheelchair service and physiotherapists
- Direct you to our Daily Living Equipment Shops and Telecare Shop where you can buy your own equipment if we cannot offer you a service, or if you choose not to have an assessment, or if the cost of the equipment is under £20.00
- Assist your carer to have their own Carer’s Assessment
- Advise you about ‘Direct Payments’ where you can have money to buy some items of equipment or pay for certain minor adaptations to your home.
Are there any charges for the Services offered?
There is no charge for the information or advice we offer or for your assessment. All the equipment we offer is provided free on a loan basis for as long as you need it. We do not provide equipment under the cost of £20. There is no charge for minor adaptations to your home costing under £1000.
If you own your own home, and you need major adaptations costing more than £1000, you may need to contribute towards the cost of the works. You may be eligible for a Disabled Facility Grant to help pay for these works, depending on your financial situation.
Contact the Environmental Health Department to find out whether you may be entitled to a grant:
Telephone: 020 8547 5535 during normal office hours
Email: environmental.health@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
At the moment, there are no charges for any major adaptations to council properties
How do I apply for a service?
You can contact our Occupational Therapy Initial Response Team direct. You can also apply on behalf of someone you know provided you have their permission.
What happens when I apply?
When you contact us, we will ask you some questions about your medical history, your disability and the difficulties you are having. This information is important and will help us decide how urgently we need to see you.
You may be given an appointment to see an Occupational Therapy Assessor at our Assessment Centre in New Malden, usually within 4 weeks, or we may arrange to see you at home, depending on your situation and how urgent your needs are.
Our Assessment Centre includes a bath with equipment such as bath boards, bath lifts, bath seats, raised toilet seats, toilet frames, commodes, bed leavers, mattress elevators, and grab rails. It has a fully adapted kitchen for a wheelchair user and a height adjustable bed and hoist, all of which can be tried for assessment purposes.
If you have an immediate need, for example, for rails in your home to keep you safe or perhaps some equipment to help you use the toilet, then this can be arranged straight away on a Fast Track basis.
How soon can I expect to be seen?
We see people according to how urgent their needs are:
- If someone needs to have an important piece of equipment installed, repaired or replaced, or if they need help to eat and drink, or need access to a toilet, we aim to see them within 24 hours.
- If someone needs help to allow them to return home from hospital or residential care, or if they need to have a non-essential piece of equipment or adaptation installed, repaired or replaced, or they need some information and advice, we aim to see them within 5 days.
- If someone is terminally ill or has a rapidly deteriorating condition, or their personal safety is at risk, or their care arrangements are likely to break down, or if they need to return home from hospital, we aim to see them within 1 to 2 weeks.
- If someone needs help to continue to live safely and independently in their own home, or their carer needs support, or they need help to prevent their care arrangements from breaking down, we aim to see them within 2 to 4 weeks.
Where can I buy equipment?
You can buy equipment at the Daily Living Equipment Shops either at Newent House, Surbiton or at the Crescent Resource Centre, New Malden. You can also try out and buy equipment such as Fall Detectors, Alert Buttons and other gadgets to help you keep safe at our Telecare Shop based at Newent House.
The shops are run by volunteers who will be able to help you get information and buy some equipment if you wish. Information leaflets on other services are also available there.
Daily Living and Telecare Shop
Newent House
Daily Living and Telecare Shop 8-10 Brown's Road
Surbiton.
Telephone: 020 8399 0032
Open on Tuesdays only, 10am to 12 noon
Crescent Resource Centre
Daily Living ShopNew Malden.
Telephone: 020 8547 6511
Open on Wednesdays only 10am - 12 noon