• Salford University, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy (2001)
• Registered Occupational Therapist with The Health and Social Care Professional Council
• Member of The British Association of Occupational Therapists.

I am a qualified Occupational Therapist with over 21 years of experience of working within a variety of roles within the NHS.

I currently work as an Occupational Therapy Team Lead for a Community Stroke Team.

I prepare Civil Procedure complaint expert witness Occupational Therapy, quantum and liability reports for the court on a wide range of injuries in personal injury and clinical negligence cases.

The types of injuries/conditions I report on include:

• Stroke
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Elderly Care
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Dementia
• Orthopaedic conditions
• General medical conditions and their functional implications

Throughout my career, I have gained extensive experience of assessments and treatments in a variety of specialities, including Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Paediatrics, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, Palliative Care and general medical and orthopaedic conditions.

I currently work as an Advanced Occupational Therapist on a Stroke Rehabilitation Unit. I complete specialist, standardised and non-standardised assessments, working both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, to ensure a quality service is provided in line with National Service Guidelines and quality markers.

Whilst I currently specialise in stroke care, I also complete regular assessments and treatment plans for a range of alternative specialities, including Traumatic Brain Injury, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, Palliative Care, Orthopaedic and general medical conditions.

I am experienced in completing neurological, cognitive, upper limb, functional mobility / transfers and activities of daily living assessments and treatment plans; completing risk assessments and setting achievable and realistic, patient centred, goals.

I complete assessments of home environments and make recommendations for future care, equipment and adaptations, in order to maximise an individual’s quality of life and independence within the home.

I complete complex discharge planning to maximise a patient’s independence in daily activities; ensuring all care and equipment needs are in place on discharge from hospital. This involves working closely with clients, carers and outside agencies to ensure appropriate support is available.

I have extensive experience in completing home assessments, evaluating care needs, and prescribing a wide range of equipment and environmental adaptations. My various roles have all involved assessments of activities of daily living, cognition, upper limb function and functional mobility.

I attend regular service development meetings within Occupational Therapy and on behalf of the Stroke Service. I aim to provide a high-quality Occupational Therapy service that will optimise a person’s independence, safety and quality of life.

Prior to my current role, I worked in large NHS hospitals as a rotational Occupational Therapist, covering acute Neurology, acute stroke and rehabilitation. This enabled me to gain experience of working with clients of all ages, within the acute hospital environment, in the community, in patients’ homes and within an outpatient setting.  I worked with clients to provide a variety of equipment and management strategies in order to facilitate symptom management and to maintain their independence in the longer term.

I have prepared and delivered numerous internal training sessions and I attend regular training courses and conferences to ensure that my skills and knowledge remain in line with current evidence-based practice and to maintain my continuous professional development.

I regularly complete clinical and managerial supervision and training for Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants. I am trained in Non-Managerial Clinical Supervision and have delivered two-day training courses aimed at developing supervision skills and enhancing learning in qualified Occupational Therapists.

I have undertaken expert witness training and I understand my responsibilities as an expert witness under the Civil Procedure Rules pertaining to expert witnesses and Part 35.