Danielle,
The Occupational Therapy service is delivering Community Clinics to assist people to develop their mental health and wellbeing. The Occupational Therapy Community Clinic is an early intervention initiative available for people who notice that their mental wellbeing has changed and who are finding it more difficult to cope with everyday activities, roles and situations.
We all have mental health and wellbeing and we need to look after it. Wellbeing is about how we think and feel and there are many factors that can impact on this such as life changes, housing, work, money worries and relationships. This in turn can impact on our mood and mental health - it is estimated that in Scotland, one in three people are affected by mental illness. Declining mental health can impact on our ability to take part in everyday activity and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Early intervention is seen to be crucial in preventing deterioration to mental health.
NHS Lanarkshire strives to enable people to access the right service at the right time for them.
Individuals can contact the service to request a one off appointment with an Occupational Therapist to talk about the issues they are experiencing and to gain advice on appropriate activity and lifestyle choices that may benefit their mental health and wellbeing. The clinics are delivered by qualified Occupational Therapists on a monthly basis in ten local health centres. Advice includes:
- Ways to maintain positive mental health through taking part in valued therapeutic activity
- How to achieve balance within roles and routines
- How to recognise early signs of deteriorating mental health and manage them
- How to make changes to lifestyle and behaviour
- Relevant community resources and organisations that may benefit the individual, based on their own interests
A recent survey of the Occupational Therapy Community Clinic service showed that people who attend the clinic experience significant improvement in anxiety & mental wellbeing as well as improvement in quality of life & reduced depression. We will continue to gather opinions and experiences from those attending the clinics to develop the service we offer.
The Occupational Therapy Community Clinic is offered as part of a wider menu of early intervention initiatives that are being delivered through the current Well Connected Agenda, which also provides opportunities through Physical Activity and Leisure, Stress Control, Healthy Reading, Volunteering, Employment, Arts & Culture, Benefit, Welfare and Debt Advice and Learning Opportunities.
The clinics are delivered throughout Lanarkshire in; Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Clydesdale, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Rutherglen / Cambuslang and Wishaw. Full contact details can be found on NHS Lanarkshire’s Elament website via this link: http://www.elament.org.uk/service-directory/nhsl-community-clinics.aspx
If you have an experience of the Occupational Therapy Service you would like to share, please speak to a member of staff, respond on Patient Opinion, or visit the “Your Feedback” Section of the NHS Lanarkshire website to see the other ways to get in touch www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk
We are listening – Mental Health & Wellbeing
We are listening – Mental Health & Wellbeing https://www.careopinion.org.uk/resources/blog-resources/23-images/9b864406fff6404ca189a232edd78c72.png Care Opinion 0114 281 6256 https://www.careopinion.org.uk /content/uk/images/logos/co-header-logo-2020-default.pngUpdate from NHS Lanarkshire
Posted by Danielle Turner, Community Clinic Lead, Occupational Therapy, Lanark Health Centre, NHS Lanarkshire, on
About: Lanarkshire Community Services / Occupational Therapy
Response from bodinl on 28 Sep 2016 at 16:14
Thanks for this informative message which sends out a strong positve message. It clearly demonstrates the value of Occupational Therapy and the wide ranging areas where it can make an impact. I look forward to hearing more feeback from both staff and service users. Lesley
Response from Danielle Turner, Community Clinic Lead, Occupational Therapy, Lanark Health Centre, NHS Lanarkshire on 29 Sep 2016 at 12:20
I appreciate your response Occupational Therapy has a crucial role to play in early intervention and the Occupational Therapy Community Clinic is a central part of this offering individuals the opportunity to gain professional advice at an earlier stage on ways to manage their mental health and wellbeing. I welcome any further responses and feedback on how we can continue to develop this service.