Occupational therapy assessments
Case reference FOI2024/00144
Published 2 February 2024
Request
I would like to submit a Freedom of Information request to obtain information relevant to occupational therapy assessments.
Please provide details for the following:
1. Do you require Occupational Therapists (OTs) for adult social care assessments?
2. Is the council currently registered on any framework for Occupational Therapy assessments? If so, kindly specify the name of the framework along with relevant details, including the expiry date.
3. Does the council employ a specific portal for procurement and outsourcing/commissioning of Occupational Therapy assessments? If so, please provide the Portal/Website Address.
4. Is the council currently under an ongoing contract with any external Occupational Therapy services provider for adult social care assessments?
5. Are there any current open contract opportunities for outsourcing Occupational Therapy assessments to external providers? If yes, kindly provide details including the start and end date of the contract. Please specify the expected date for such contract opportunities to be published.
6. Please specify the details for the department responsible for commissioning and outsourcing independent Occupational Therapy assessments to external private organisations.
Response
I would like to submit a Freedom of Information request to obtain information relevant to occupational therapy assessments.
Please provide details for the following:
1. Do you require Occupational Therapists (OTs) for adult social care assessments?
A) Yes - Care Act 2014.
Social Care Assessment involves discussion and understanding of an individual's situation and presenting needs. It involves information gathering and exploration of available help and support to minimise risk of harm, prevent, reduce and delay an individual's reliance on current and future health & care support.
Social Care assessments are strengths based and personalised. They include how well you manage everyday tasks as well as wider considerations of staying active, managing health conditions and maintaining community engagement.
Occupational Therapists help people with disability to live safely and independently in their own homes. Depending on an individual's presenting needs, adult social care assessments may require Occupational Therapists to contribute to or undertake an adult social care assessment.
Herefordshire Council employs Occupational Therapists. They support people whose physical or mental health, environment or social circumstances make it difficult for them to take part in activities that matter to them and help individuals identify and achieve goals to develop, recover, improve, and maintain skills needed for daily living and working.
2. Is the council currently registered on any framework for Occupational Therapy assessments? If so, kindly specify the name of the framework along with relevant details, including the expiry date.
A) Herefordshire Council is not currently registered on any framework for Occupational Therapy assessments.
In terms of Local Government Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice, Occupational Therapy registration and professional practice:-
Herefordshire Council Occupational Therapists follow the U.K. Occupational Therapy Practice Framework - RCOT Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice, conduct & Ethics (2021)
All Occupational Therapists employed by Herefordshire Council are HCPC registered and must meet all the standards of HCPC proficiency (HCPC Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapists Sep 2023) relevant to their scope of practice.
Herefordshire Council is a member of the Local Government Association (LGA) and operates LGA Standards for Employers of Occupational Therapists in England 2022.
3. Does the council employ a specific portal for procurement and outsourcing/commissioning of Occupational Therapy assessments? If so, please provide the Portal/Website Address.
A) No.
4. Is the council currently under an ongoing contract with any external Occupational Therapy services provider for adult social care assessments?
A) Yes. Herefordshire Council recently employed restricted tender for the procurement and commissioning of an external agency for Occupational Therapy assessments.
5. Are there any current open contract opportunities for outsourcing Occupational Therapy assessments to external providers? If yes, kindly provide details including the start and end date of the contract. Please specify the expected date for such contract opportunities to be published.
A) No.
6. Please specify the details for the department responsible for commissioning and outsourcing independent Occupational Therapy assessments to external private organisations.
A) Independent Living Service: Prevention Services, Adults Communities & Well-Being Directorate, Herefordshire Council.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.