Occupational Therapy Services Offered

The Occupational Therapy Service aims to provide a high quality, client centred service embedded in occupation based practice, which enables people to participate in their meaningful life roles.

Occupations are things we do that give meaning to our lives, support life roles and help make us who we are. Occupational Therapists help people participate in their daily roles and occupations to the best of their abilities. At Western Health we work across the continuum of care to promote health, wellbeing, and purpose through occupations.

There are over 80 Occupational Therapy staff, including Occupational Therapists and Allied Health Assistants providing services across Western Health.

The Occupational Therapy service is led by the Occupational Therapy Manager, and supported by the senior leadership team (comprising of Grade 3 and 4 OT staff).

The Occupational Therapy department places a strong emphasis on supervision and professional development, with a comprehensive supervision process in place for all staff.

A number of different committees exist to ensure the successful functioning of the Occupational Therapy department. These include, Improvement (Quality and Research), Culture (Profile and Culture), Capability (Education and Training) and Standards and Safety committees.

Grade One staff, and particularly new graduates, are encouraged to attend the New Graduate Forums, which are co-ordinated by the Allied Health Professional Development Committee and run throughout the year.

The Occupational Therapy department is actively engaged in a range of quality improvement, research and knowledge translation projects aimed at ensuring our service is high quality and evidence based. Current projects include:

• Research investigating splinting for proliferative phase digital fracture malalignment
• An exploratory study of Consumer and Staff Perspectives of Inpatient Occupational Therapy Home Assessments
• Evaluating the use of current Occupational Therapy department competency assessments
• Evaluating client centred occupation based practice in the Occupational Therapy Service at Western Health
• Embedding client-centred occupation based practice in specialised rehabilitation program
   
• Development and implementation of strategy to increase clinician knowledge, skill and confidence in therapeutic manual handling
• Best practice in the use of smart technology in Occupational Therapy Practice
• Evaluation of current practice regarding fitness to drive within a specialised rehabilitation program setting
• 24 hour Rehabilitation: an exploratory study investigatory patient engagement in exercise and occupations on the Sunshine Rehabilitation Ward.

​The following research projects are being completed in partnership:

• Analysis of two relative motion extension orthotic programs: A randomised pilot study (multisite RCT)
• Translating Neurorehabilitation Research into Clinical Practical: The SENSe Implement Project (multisite)

Footscray Hospital
Phone (via Switchb​oard): 8345 6666

Sunshine Hospital
Phone (via Switchboard): 8345 1333

Williamstown Ho​spital
Phone (via Switchboard): 9393 0100

Hazeldean Transition Care Program
Phone: 9397 3167