Celebrating World Occupational Therapy Day
Today is World Occupational Therapy Day, and we’re excited to celebrate the amazing work of occupational therapists (OTs) who make a real difference in people’s lives every day.
At SWLSTG, our brilliant OTs are key to helping patients on their recovery journey, improving wellbeing, and empowering them to achieve their goals.
Let’s take a moment to thank all our OTs – including Hannah and Joanne, who have kindly shared some insights into their important roles with us!
Joanne Stagg, Lead Specialist Occupational Therapist
Q. Could you tell us a bit about your role and how long you’ve been at the Trust, what does your role involve?
“I have three roles within the Trust. Two are in occupational therapy (OT) leadership, focusing on community and practice development. Recently, my passion for digital innovation led me to become the first Chief Professional Information Officer for AHPs and community nursing.
"My role is really varied. I support frontline OTs in delivering clinical care and help ensure our systems run smoothly. This includes streamlining administrative tasks, helping staff collect valuable data, and working together to improve clinical practice and patient experiences.
Q. What do you enjoy most about your role?
“I love that I’ve been able to combine my two passions – occupational therapy and digital innovation – into my new role, Chief Professional Information Officer for AHPs and community nursing.
"I’ve always been interested in finding better, more efficient ways to do things without compromising quality. I feel really lucky to have turned that curiosity into a career, where I can help improve systems for both staff and clients."
Q. What advice would you give to new staff members about prioritising quality and safety in their roles?
“My advice is to always seek support if you're unsure. Whether it's reaching out to a supervisor, manager, colleague, or another staff member in the Trust, it’s far better to ask for help than to navigate challenges alone. As a manager myself, I'm always happy to have a quick chat with anyone in need.”
Q. How do you ensure that your daily practices contribute to maintaining high standards of patient safety and high-quality care?
“We regularly ask for feedback from clients and carers to see how we can improve or maintain high-quality care. We’ve also developed an in-house assessment tool to look at functional risks, and find strategies to reduce them, with input from carers. “We’re also focused on improving our data collection so we can better spot patterns and trends in demands, priorities, and outcomes to better inform our strategies.
Q. What do you enjoy about working here?
“I really appreciate the Trust’s flexible approach to work, especially as a working parent. It’s also been great having the trust from my managers to explore my passion for digital solutions and find ways to connect that with my clinical work to make improvements.
“Supporting clients to achieve their goals and seeing their pride is incredibly rewarding. Whether we’re behind the scenes or on the front line, there’s nothing more fulfilling than helping people overcome challenges and improve their quality of life.”
Hannah - Occupational Therapist
Q. Could you tell us a bit about your role and how long you have been at the Trust, what does your role involve?
“I can’t believe I’ve been with the Trust for 16 years! As an occupational therapist in the Deaf Adult Community Team, I support Deaf and Deaf-Blind individuals with mental health issues.”
“My role includes working with local OT services for assessments and interventions, traveling across the UK, and networking with care homes, CMHTs (community mental health teams), social workers for the Deaf, and BSL interpreters. I have a Level 6 British Sign Language (BSL) certification and enjoy using BSL in my work.”
Q. Can you share a memorable experience from your time working here?
“The first memory that comes to mind is from my time in the now-closed addiction services. While I was running an art group, a squirrel got onto the ward and became stuck behind a cabinet. Everyone, including the patients, tried to rescue it, but we ultimately had to call the RSPCA for help!”
Q. What do you enjoy most about your role?
“I enjoy using and learning BSL, it’s such a beautiful visual language. Half of my team are deaf BSL users. I feel very lucky to be emersed in the language and deaf culture.”
Q. What advice would you give to new staff members about prioritising quality and safety in their roles?
“Supervision is important and joining your OT forums. We can be so isolated as OTs so forming a network of people you can go to really helps.”
Q. How do you ensure that your daily practices contribute to maintaining high standards of patient safety and high-quality care?
“Keeping up with CPD, regularly discussing any concerns with your manager, supervision and clear documentation.”
Q. What do you enjoy about working here?
“I enjoy working in a lovely team where BSL is the first language. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to study BSL up to level 6 within the Trust.”
