Specialist Services

SPECIALIST SERVICES



The Changing Role of Occupational Therapy Services in Social Care: a Scoping Study

(Principal Investigator: Professor David Challis)


This study was funded by NIHR SSCR and aimed to create a mechanism for describing the role of occupational therapists and assistants in community settings permitting the identification of the principal components of the role, by service setting; evaluation of the influence of policy and practice changes; and data collection to establish the cost and resource consequences associated with different service configurations.


A diary tool was developed to provide a means of collecting systematic and generalisable data on practitioner time use within occupational therapy services. It employed a four-stage mixed methods approach.


  • A scoping review was undertaken to collate existing literature complemented by a review of previous work undertaken by the researchers about the work of occupational therapists and the use of diary tools.

  • Focus groups of practitioners were conducted to inform the design and implementation of the diary schedule and its utility across services and user group.

  • Piloting of the schedule was undertaken in the integrated Trust hosting the study.

  • Appraisal of the utility of the diary study tool through structured discussions with practitioners and managers within the host Trust was completed.


This study took place between April 2013 and April 2014. More information on the study can be found on the NIHR SSCR project page.


Products and Toolkits



Publications


Hughes, J., Wilberforce, M., Symonds, E., Bowns, I., and Challis, D. (2016) Occupational therapy roles and responsibilities: development of a standardised measure of time use for staff working with adults in community settings. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79, 6, 336-344.


Wilberforce, M., Hughes, J., Bowns, I., Fillingham, J., Pryce, F., Symonds, E., Paddock, K., and Challis, D. (2016). Occupational therapy roles and responsibilities: Evidence from a pilot study of time use in an integrated health and social care trust. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79, 7, 409-416.


Fillingham J, Mackey H, Pryce F, Hughes J, Challis D. and Wilberforce M. (2015) The Changing Role of Occupational Therapy Services: A Scoping Study. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. P21.78,8 suppl. 71-72.



Social Care in Prisons: A Needs Assessment and Service Requirements

(Principal Investigator: Professor David Challis)


In light of the rising number of older prisoners and longer sentences, the level of social care needs in prisons is increasing. However, the provision of social care for prisoners is variable, and the literature contains many examples of a deplorable lack of social support, including gaps in basic personal care and access to work or training.


Whilst in the past it was not clear who was responsible for meeting prisoners’ social care needs, the introduction of the Care Act in April 2015 clarified that local authorities with prisons within their boundaries are responsible for identifying and assessing prisoners with social care needs, and for providing appropriate support where these meet new national eligibility criteria. Further, all authorities are responsible for prisoners with social care needs who come into their area on release. The number of prisoners who are eligible for support is, however, uncertain, and little is known about the extent of their needs or how best to meet them.


Against this background, the proposed research was designed to provide local authorities with a framework of evidence to inform the delivery of social care for prisoners, including information on the number and nature of their social care needs, the range and cost of the services they require and current practice.


The study had three main strands:


  • Strand one involved face-to-face interviews with more than 480 prisoners in Lancashire and has profiled their social care needs.

  • Strand two used a Balance of Care approach (a strategic planning framework) with staff from nine local authorities in England to identify those prisoners whose needs meet the new eligibility criteria for social care and to identify the services they require.

  • Strand three comprised a national survey of local authorities in England to establish how they were addressing their newly defined responsibilities for the social care of prisoners under the Care Act. It achieved an 81 per cent response rate from those authorities that contain prisons.


The study began in the spring of 2015 and concluded at the end of March 2017. More information on the study can be found on the NIHR SSCR project page.


Publications


Tucker, S., Hargreaves C., Roberts, A., Anderson, I., Shaw, J., Challis, D. (2017). Social care in prison: Emerging practice arrangements consequent upon the introduction of the Care Act 2014. British Journal of Social Work. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcx115 . Publication link: 463a50a7-5038-4140-9b6c-68a8d1b61993


Robinson L, Tucker S, Hargreaves C, Roberts A. and Challis D. (2021) Providing Social Care Following Release from Prison: Emerging Practice Arrangements further to the Introduction of the 2014 Care Act. British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab082


Tucker S, Hargreaves C, Cattermull M, Roberts A, Walker T, Shaw J. and Challis D. (2021). The nature and extent of prisoners’ social care needs. Do older prisoners require a different service response? Journal of Social Work. 21(3): 310-328.



Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Military Veterans (MVIAPT): A Service Evaluation

(Principal Investigator: Professor David Challis)


This work evaluated the first veteran-specific IAPT service initiated by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and a social wrap-around service, Live at Ease, which addresses issues such as employment and housing and took place in 2013. Although only a minority of veterans experience mental health and social problems on reintegration into society, veterans have specific needs primarily arising from their military service. For this purpose, this study evaluates the outcome, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of both psychological and social services input.


Publications


Clarkson, P., Giebel, C.M., & Challis, D. (2014). Cost-effectiveness of a Pilot Social Care Service for UK Military Veterans. Journal of Care Services Management, 7(3), 95-106.


Giebel, C.M., Clarkson, P., & Challis, D. (2014). Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of UK Military Veterans Attending a Psychological Therapies Service. The Psychiatric Bulletin, 38(6), 270-275.


Clarkson P, Giebel C, Challis D, Duthie P, Barrett A. and Lambert H. (2016) Outcomes from a pilot psychological therapies service for UK military veterans. Nursing Open. 3(4): 227-235.



Delayed Transfers of Care

(Principal Investigator: Professor David Challis)


People over the age of 65 years are the largest proportion of patients discharged from hospital. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Act 2003 placed new requirements upon local authorities providing social care and the NHS to reduce the scale of delay in discharge from acute beds. The study, undertaken in Stockport and funded by Stockport Social Services Department (2006 to 2008), aimed to identify patients at high risk of delayed discharge at the point of admission to hospital.


Publication


Challis, D., Hughes, J., Xie, C. and Jolley, D. (2014). An examination of factors influencing delayed discharge of older people from hospital, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29, 2, 160-168.