Welcome to the GP page.
This page is to provide you with information to help you understand the Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy service and appropriately access our service on behalf of your patients.
If a child or young person has a physical and/or learning disability their ability to learn and develop, socialise and play may be compromised. Occupational Therapist’s (OT’s) work with children and young people, and other key people in their lives such as families, education and social care colleagues, to help individuals get the most from their lives, experience good quality of life and achieve their potential.
OT’s work with children and young people who have an ‘occupational need’. This means that they have difficulty performing everyday activities or ‘occupations’ which are expected for a child or young person. Examples of these are as follows;
- Productivity– Learning to explore the world as a baby, attending nursery / school, completing homework, or using a computer.
- Self Care– Being able to feed yourself, being able to dress yourself, make your own lunch, or accessing suitable showering/bathing facilities.
Our key role is to enable the child or young person, families and other key people to promote ongoing positive self management, participation and achievement in daily occupations.
Occupational Therapy should be an integral part of a child or young person’s everyday life. This is achieved by putting in place the right advice, practical strategies, activity programmes and/or assistive equipment to address identified needs. We know that working in partnership with those involved with children and young people will bring greatest benefit and positive outcomes.
Criteria for referral
- Children and young people aged 0-16 and aged 0-19 if they are in full time education.
- Children are responsible and known to a Coventry GP.
- Children have a specific occupational need(s).
How to make a referral
- We would recommend where professionals complete the referral form, that they do this with the family in order to provide detailed and accurate information. The content of the referral form is used to prioritise cases and to plan intervention.
- Please feel free to send any additional clinic reports or letters that you may feel are of benefit.
How to contact the service
If you have any queries or wish to discuss a potential or existing referral then please contact the service on (024) 76 961455