Private Occupational Therapy Housing Assessment?

Dovetail22uk

I have applied to get on the housing register for an adapted council property. Been waiting for my application to be approved (just to get onto the register to be able to bid) for 6 months. They now say I need an OT Housing Assessment and Report and it could be up to a year to have that done. Has anyone used a private OT to do this so you can move forward more quickly?

Luchia

Hi

You would need to contact your council and ask if they will accept a private OT report, Each council is different but as far as I’m aware most won’t allow it and insist on using their own OT Team.

Best to check as not to waste your money

Dovetail22uk

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/122084/private-occupational-therapy-housing-assessment

Thanks. I rang and they said "no one has ever asked us that!" and said it was okay but I think I'll check again - that's if I can find one that I can afford. Had two quotes and both are almost £1000 lol

Cantilip

Personally but I do stress with no experience of the issue, theoretically I don't see why there'd be a problem and think it would be worth arguing if any difficulties were met: a qualified OT is exactly the same whether NHS or private, the same as a private GP has the same qualifications as an NHS GP and so on. To my mind the only difficulty would be if it wasn't a properly qualified person.

To become an occupational therapist, you’ll need a degree in occupational therapy, which usually takes three years full time or up to six years part time. In postgraduate studies, it’s possible to gain a Masters degree in one to two years.  Once you’ve successfully completed your degree, you’ll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) before you can start practising. The other option is to apply for an apprenticeship degree.

Information on being an occupational therapist - Degrees and Courses - Health Careers

Luchia

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/905612#Comment_905612

I would suggest you send an email so then you have the reply in writing and make sure it’s a definite yes, last thing you want it to spend a fortune on a Private OT for them then to say it’s useless

Luchia

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/905616#Comment_905616

Although accurate Council do like to make things difficult, A lot of them insist on using their own for assessments, not sure why as I’d imagine they would all write the same thing

ouch_it_hurts

I’m sorry you’re in this situation and that I can’t give any advice, I am in the same situation and wondering the same thing! I have no idea how to go about finding a good private OT for this, would you be able to update & share your experience if you go through with it?