OT self referral

cen12

Hi all,

been a while since I’ve been on here. Hope everyone is doing ok. 

Quick question has anyone self referred themselves to the OT for additional support etc.
im struggling with daily tasks and mobility . But as of yet Ive still got no diagnosis. Would that go against me??

I struggle with standing , washing myself , preparing food. I used a stick in and around the house and a wheelchair/mobility scooter in the community.

any advice would be gratefully received.

many thanks
  cen

Topkitten

I have self-referred but it is better if you get your GP to do it and explain why you've been referred. They will only contact the GP anyway and it could be answered by one who knows little about you. Better to get your regular GP to do it.

TK

Jean_OT

Hi Cen

It definitely sounds as if it would be beneficial for you to have contact with your local community Occupational Therapy Department so that an OT can assess what the issues are with your activities of daily living. If possible they will try to address the identified issues by supplying equipment and/or making suggestions about other ways of achieving the things you want/need to do.

Knowing someone's diagnosis can be an important part of the puzzle when the OT is trying to figure out what is preventing someone from being able to carry out an activity and the best way to remedy the situation. However, OT's can and do regularly work with people that have no formal diagnosis.

Certainly you can self refer, be prepared to answer some questions over the phone, as the person taking your call may need to establish that you meet their criteria and how urgent your referral is. Getting your GP to refer means that those things should hopefully be covered by the referral letter. Them is no harm in people being referred to the OT by duel routes. As TK has already stated the OT is most likely going to contact your GP and potentially other health professionals involved with your can to try to get a good understanding of your condition.

More information about occupational therapy and how to access it can be found on the NHS Choices website: 

https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/occupational-therapy/Pages/introduction.aspx

Hope you are able to access the support of an OT soon,

Jean