Adult Community Rehabilitation Team (ACRT), Physical Side OT Student Placements

Adult Community Rehabilitation Team St Leonards Hospital Nuttall Street N1 5LZ

Tel: 020 7683 4489 / 4382

Adult Community Rehabilitation Team (ACRT), Physical side OT Student Placements

This pack has been designed to give you some general information prior to the first day of your placement at ACRT. Please read everything and bring any questions for clarification on your first day, or do please telephone / email if anything is unclear.

If you have been sent any documentation to complete with this letter or have been advised to bring ID (eg in order to request a RIO card), then please complete and bring with you on your first day. Please email your CV over to your educator in advance of starting your placement.

Who we are

ACRT is a multi-disciplinary team comprising physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists and rehabilitation assistants. The team work with clients with physical and neurological diagnoses either in their own homes or as outpatients at St Leonard’s Hospital.

Your placement

Depending on your placement level, with supervision you will be given a small and balanced caseload to manage: planning, delivering and evaluating therapy, liaising with family and carers, participating in goal setting and multi-disciplinary team meetings, completing reports and administrative tasks, and working as a member of the multi-disciplinary team. You will be working with different individual clients. The placement will include observation and joint sessions, but the emphasis is on the development of your independent working as far as possible, (especially for later placements) and being in charge of your own timetable. - 2 -

You are likely to be working with clients with a variety of difficulties and conditions including COPD, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, amputations, diabetes and physical injury/fractures. It will be helpful for you to revise your lecture notes on these conditions prior to and during your placement.

You will know who your clinical supervisor is prior to starting and will receive weekly supervision and 1:1 support. Your clinical reasoning skills will be developed through experience, verbal discussion/feedback and written reflections.

Therapy staff in ACRT generally works between 8.30am and 5.00pm. On your 1st day, please report to B block reception, the receptionist will let staff know of your arrival.

Whilst on placement at ACRT students should:  Be punctual and appropriately dressed at all times.  Have planned objectives early on in their placement. We may also be able to provide various additional opportunities such as shadowing other departments/services in order to develop your experience/knowledge.  Raise concerns with the supervising clinicians as soon as they arise. If we are aware of a problem it is possible to alter the placement in terms of patient caseload, level of support, liaison with your Clinical Tutor etc.  Reflect on their own skills and be open to feedback and suggestions from the supervising clinicians.

If you are sick or going to be late whilst on placement you must ring the department to let us know each day. Please make sure that you have spoken with your clinical supervisor or an allocated member of their team and arranged to cancel any clients if necessary.

We do not have an on-site canteen although we do have a kitchen with fridge and microwaves which you can use to heat up food you bring from home. There are also several shops and cafes on Hoxton Street where you will be able to buy lunch at a reasonable price.

The student placement at ACRT is challenging but rewarding and we hope that you will gain a valuable insight into your potential future working lives as a qualified occupational therapist.

At the end of the placement you will be able to complete a feedback form for us—anonymously if preferred—as this will help shape the service to the best advantage of future students.

Where we are

Location: 2nd floor, D block, St Leonard’s, Nuttall St, N1 5LZ - 3 -

Directions and Transport: There is very little opportunity for parking around St Leonard’s and we would advise you to come via public transport. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf? x=533422&y=183419&z=0&sv=N1+5LZ&st=2&pc=N1+5LZ&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf For street map showing St. Leonard’s location and surrounding area http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/smots-appendix-2-bus-spider-map-example-hackney- central.pdf Transport map for Hackney area.

Please telephone 020 7683 4489 or 020 7683 4382, and ask to speak with your supervisor if you have any questions

We look forward to meeting you.