Experience

Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People (QEF)

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Children's Occupational Therapist

  • Feb 2019 - Present

  Children's Occupational Therapist leading on the UK-wide MERU Bugzi Loan Scheme and conducting local assessments at the QEF Mobility Centre for Bugzis, mobility equipment, car travel and commercial airline travel.



Epsom Riding for the Disabled

• Saturday PM Session Leader, Green RDA Coaching Passport and Training Committee lead (voluntary)

  • Sep 1994 - Present

  Saturday PM Session Leader, Green RDA Coaching Passport and Training Committee lead at Epsom Riding for the Disabled (voluntary)Saturday PM Session run 2 fortnightly rides (4 rides in total) for children, young people and young adults. We tailor our riders according to our riders' abilities, develop appropriate goals and challenges and support our riders to progress. We have a wonderful team of volunteer helpers who willingly are delegated all yard duties - catching, grooming, tacking up, leading and occasional riding our animals. I am responsible for all rider, helpers and horses, and their activities, on my session.I gained my Coaching qualification in 1997 on the Saturday morning sessions and have been teaching at Epsom RDA ever since, developing the Saturday PM session from scratch in 2002.I am an associate member of the Chartered Physiotherapists in Therapeutic Riding and Hippotherapy and in January 2003 I did Stage 1 of their then training schedule. I continue to be a member of the group and attend and contribute to regional meetings. I plan to start the Hippotherapy module in January 2020.I was involved in the conception of the Training Committee in approximately 2004 and took on the lead for it some years later. We now run 2 standardised training sessions twice a year for our new helpers and organise 4 training sessions for our Coaches.



Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals

• United Kingdom
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Specialist Occupational Therapist in Children's Long Term Ventilation

  • Jan 2012 - Feb 2019

  Multi-disciplinary team member providing specialist medical and therapeutic support to acute hospital teams to aid the highly complicated discharge of children requiring long-term ventilation via tracheostomy from hospital. Main roles included Home Assessments, advice regarding daily living equipment and mobility equipment.Developed teaching skills to co-lead an OT and Welfare focused study day.Pursued new solutions for established Occupational Therapy problems for this cohort of patients.

• Senior Occupational Therapist

  • Sep 2008 - Jan 2012

  Clinical roles included Pulmonary Rehabilitation, medical and surgical discharge facilitation, Adult and Paediatric Intensive Care Rehabilitation and Paediatric developmental intervention to promote health and healing.Led a team of Therapists and Therapy Assistants including conducting appraisals, organising internal training and management of department's day-to-day caseload.Developed and ran a 2-day study course for Occupational Therapists covering Cardiac and Respiratory anatomy and physiology, evidenced based practice and OT treatment approach for these patients.



Shooting Star CHASE

• Occupational Therapist

  • Feb 2012 - Oct 2017

  Occupational Therapist for Shooting Star House Children's Hospice. Working with a variety of children and young people who are life-limited or life-threatened by their diagnosis. Core tasks included seating, posture and positioning advice and intervention, group work, staff training, equipment procurement and Moving and Handling Adviser.Worked within a superb multi-disciplinary therapy team including Music, Art and Pay Therapists, Complimentary Therapist, Counsellors and Physiotherapist.Provided training external to the organisation, including training to other teams on the role of a Hospice OT, conference poster and presentation on the topic; also lead and ran a 2-day conference for Therapists working within Children's Hospices across UK and Ireland.



Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

• United Kingdom
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Paediatric Occupational Therapist

  • Aug 2005 - Nov 2007

  Community Occupational Therapist in central London. Caseload predominantly pre-school, focusing on developmental skills and early intervention.Worked within a team which covered acute hospital wards, Social Communication Disorder and Schools Occupational Therapy.