Our OT service is currently operating with a significant backlog, impacting statutory duties under the Care Act 2014. The service currently has 976 cases awaiting allocation for an assessment and residents can wait up to 35 weeks for an Occupational Therapist to be allocated their case. This service currently does not have the capacity to meet the existing demand for assessment and to reduce the numbers of cases which have created a waiting list for residents requesting an OT assessment.

While traditional ‘waitlist initiatives’ provide temporary relief, they have not addressed the underlying mismatch between incoming demand and existing capacity.

A Service and Improvement Plan was developed in 2024 however this plan has not achieved the aim of reducing waiting times for residents to receive timely assessments due to high referral rates and lack of resources. Untimely assessments have unavoidably led to further delays in specialist equipment and adaptations being recommended, provided and installed.

Reablement

Reablement in occupational therapy (OT) is a short-term, intensive, and person-centered service designed to help individuals regain skills, confidence, and independence in daily activities after illness, injury, or a hospital stay. Focusing on abilities rather than limitations, OTs use functional retraining and environmental adaptations to reduce the need for long-term care, often lasting up to six weeks

Purpose of Service: To increase the capacity of reablement services so more residents with a wider range of needs can benefit from short term services to maximise their independence.

Progress: The first phase of the new reablement service was launched on 27 October 2025. This includes two reablement pathways:

Reablement At Home will support residents who are discharged home from hospital with reablement potential

Reablement Assessment Flats will support residents who are ready to leave hospital but are temporarily unable to return home. These flats are a short-term solution and are located at Leander Court and Rose Court.

Initially, referrals to the Reablement Service only come from hospital, but our ambition to expand this into community referrals and move towards a “Reablement First” approach, whereby we consider reablement for most people requiring support from adult social care is required