Expert
WITNESS Being a care expert is a wonderful job. It enables you to assist the claimant to be put back into the position they would have been in had they not sustained an injury...” Deborah Smith Why be a care expert? Heidi: Expert work offers an exciting and stimulating role. You will need to be able to ‘think outside the box’ and your opinions will be challenged. It will keep you on your toes in your professional practice and you will develop excellent report writing and verbal reasoning skills. You will also ha e the reedom to or fle i ly and with increased pay in comparison to statutory services. Deb: Being a care expert is a wonderful job. It enables you to assist the claimant to be put back into the position they would have been in had they not sustained an injury – without restriction. I couldn’t arrange for my clients in statutory care to have the equipment they really needed due to financial constraints
Why did you become an expert? Heidi: I have always been passionate about my professional development and in my clinical work I always enjoyed carrying out assessments and identifying and evidencing needs. Expert work was therefore the next step in my career development and I have not looked back. Deb: There were very limited opportunities for progression in my role within the statutory sector.
What clinical
It is essential for care experts to maintain their clinical skills. By holding a complementary clinical role the expert is keeping in touch with best practice and relevant training. This is the solid foundation of expertise and allows the court to confidently rely on an expert’s evidence.
role do you do alongside your role as a care expert? Deb: I do a variety of work as an independent OT, including adaptations to homes for children and young people, usually as a result of an interim payment or quantum settlement. I hold a caseload of children who have development co-ordination disorders, handwriting di ficulties and pho ias, usually working within a school environment. I also support a couple of clients who need assistance with personal care. I am a ualified trans ormational li e coach, which is useful in identifying goals with the clients I work with and their families. Heidi: As a case manager I am an advocate for children and young people who have traumatic and acquired brain injuries. I coordinate with the child/young person, their family, relevant professionals and outside agencies in order to ensure their care, therapy, education,
equipment, leisure and housing needs are being met.
How is your role as an expert different to being in statutory services? Deb: In the statutory sector, I worked with a very limited budget and with a narrow range of equipment, usually provided by a supplier chosen by non-practitioners on a county-wide basis. Our responsibility was to ‘meet the client’s need’, but this would not always provide the item or facilities hich ould pro e most eneficial As a care expert, we research items of equipment which are often outside the remit of the statutory sector therapist. Particular projects I have become acquainted with include a wheelchair-accessible tree house, a swimming pool with ceiling track hoisting and fully accessible changing facilities, and sourcing wheelchairs which are capable of coping with sand, mud and grassy terrains. Heidi: As an OT, I am passionate about ensuring that independence and quality of life are maximized. As an expert I am able to recommend what the child needs in order to empower them and optimize their independence and quality of life. For instance, I am not limited by only being able to recommend a bath or a level-access shower. If it is appropriate for them to have both then I provide costs for both. I could not do this in statutory services.
The role of a care expert is often misunderstood; however there are many reasons why this role should be attractive to OTs. Hopefully, Deborah and Heidi have increased your understanding regarding this field o or you ould li e to find out more, ac ueline e ha e a num er o online resources, along with regular open evenings and webinars. You can also register your details with us via the website: www.jwebb.co.uk/recruitment. 68
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