Finding an Occupational Therapist

Stay-independent > Finding an Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist is a health professional who can support you with the practical difficulties that may affect how you manage in your everyday life as a result of a mental or physical health condition or acquired disability. They will devise a programme or plan to work with you to help you maximise your potential in the areas that are important to you. This section looks at who occupational therapists support, what they do to help, and how to find the right occupational therapist for you. 

Who do occupational therapists support? 

Occupational therapists work with all ages and with people with a wide range of conditions, including: 

• adults and children with reduced mobility or a physical disability 
• adults and children with long-term conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s or children with cerebral palsy 
• adults and children recovering from an operation or an illness such as a stroke or road traffic accident 
• adults and children with learning disabilities 
• adults and children with mental health difficulties. 

An occupational therapist will take into account the physical barriers of being able to do an activity, alongside the mental, emotional, social and environmental barriers. 

How can an occupational therapist help me? 

An occupational therapist can help you by working out different ways to do an activity to make it easier, such as: 

• breaking it down into small parts and practising it with you 
• helping you adapt your environment to make things safer and easier 
• identifying equipment that could help, such as the installation of grab rails or ramps in your home 
• sourcing the best options to meet your needs for now and in the long term as well as advising you on the safe use of assistive equipment. 

In addition, an occupational therapist can help you by: 

• understanding your condition and how it may affect your life style and support you with making plans for the future which may include your choice of paid work or the type of property you live in 
• building your confidence to live the life you chose and providing techniques and strategies for dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. 

How to find the right occupational therapist 

If you’re coming out of hospital after an operation or illness and you need support to relearn day-to-day tasks, occupational therapy services will be provided through the NHS both whilst you are an inpatient and later if still required as an outpatient. However increasingly due to service pressure the intervention is time limited. 

Otherwise, there are two ways to access an occupational therapist: 

Through your local council 

Anyone who appears to have care and support needs is entitled to a free “care needs assessment” from the local council, and if you’re having practical difficulties with day to day tasks, this is likely to be with an occupational therapist. For more information on the care needs assessment, read our guide here. 

To book an appointment, contact your local council’s social services department and explain your situation. Ask for a needs assessment and check if an occupational therapist will be carrying out the assessment. Depending on where you live and also the urgency of your situation, the wait for an appointment might be a few weeks or several months. You can get details of how to apply to your local council’s social services department through https://www.gov.uk/apply-needs-assessment-social-services. 

If the occupational therapist recommends equipment for you, and it is available from the council, they will request the item to be delivered to you. Note that you may not get as much choice as if you were buying equipment privately. In some areas, however, the council may give you a voucher equivalent to the cost of your recommended equipment to pay towards an item of your choice. 

If the occupational therapist recommends a home adaptation, such as a level access shower, a ramp, or a stair lift, you will then be means tested for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) by the council to ascertain if you have to make any financial contribution to the proposed adaptation. 

Book privately 

If you wish to receive the advice of an occupational therapist, but do not wish to go down the local council route, you can find a private / independent occupational therapist near you by looking at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists website: www.rcotss-ip.org.uk. The assessment will come with a charge but you are likely to be seen more quickly than if you request one from the local council.  

Note that if a private occupational therapist recommends equipment and you want to see if you are eligible to receive this free from the local council, you may still need to have an assessment with the local council before receiving any equipment.  

If you wish to approach an independent occupational therapist then check they are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and just as importantly whether they have experience of working with people who have a similar condition to yourself. All occupational therapists listed on the RCOTSS website above are HCPC registered. 

It is worth contacting a number of therapists for a chat to ask about their experience, availability and fee rates. Higher fee rates will generally indicate a greater level of experience and expertise.