Kent and Medway NHS Trust - Prosthetist/Orthotist - Kent

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Blatchfords - Prosthetist/Orthotist

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Job Vacancy: Halo Medical - Orthotist, Norfolk

For further information on the position available please click here.

BAPO NICE Quality Standard Endorsement

The BAPO Professional Affairs Committee are pleased to advise the endorsement of the recent NICE Osteoarthritis and Pressure Ulcer Quality Standards on behalf of BAPO.

If you would like to view these documents please follow the required link below:

Osteoarthritis QS

Pressure Ulcer QS

BAMT urges increased provision of music therapy for dementia - Music Therapy Week 2015

Professional body urges increase in provision of music therapy for dementia 

 David's story - 'I feel more alive and happy after each session' 

 Music Therapy Week 22 - 28 June - highlights

 

This year's Music Therapy Week is focusing on the valuable role music therapy has to play in supporting people with dementia and those who care for them. Leading research has shown that music therapy can significantly improve and support the mood, alertness and engagement of people with dementia, can reduce the use of medication, as well as helping to manage and reduce agitation, isolation, depression and anxiety, overall supporting a better quality of life (Ridder et al, 2013). Music therapy can help people at all stages in their journey with dementia to enrich life and tap into the resources that people with dementia still have.

81-year-old David Jacques was diagnosed with both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease four years ago. He has progressive short-term memory loss, experiences difficulty organizing his time and sometimes gets lost.

'David came to his first music therapy session armed with books of folk songs and opera,' recalls Pemma Spencer-Chapman, a music therapist at the Guideposts Trust Music Therapy Service in Oxfordshire. 'This was unusual,' she says, 'as most clients don't have any musical training. If I played or sang the melody, David could hold the tune. He sang the melodies increasingly from memory and marveled at his brain's ability to remember them'. The brain remembers emotional experiences more easily than facts, and the emotional nature of music helps these memories come to the fore.

But it wasn't until Pemma suggested to David to improvise with his voice while she accompanied him that a real breakthrough was made, 'to my surprise, David sang not just a melody but words as well. Words and melody have come to him hand in hand,' Pemma says. 'He is surprised, pleased and empowered and I feel his identity has been strengthened in a different way, by being at the heart of the improvisation.'

'I feel more alive and happy after each session', David.

David's wife, Penny, says music therapy is now the high spot of David's week. 'I wish that this form of therapy could be available on the NHS for everyone with dementia as it is clearly so beneficial.'

Prof. Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England – the leading representative body for independent care services in England, states, 'Music therapy is intrinsic to enriching the quality of life for those with dementia. Recent research demonstrates the significant role it has to play in supporting a better quality of life, and that is because music taps into the resources that people with dementia still have, enabling them to maintain connections with loved ones and the world around them. But, the impact is wider reaching. Carers also see the impact that music therapy can have and thus helps them to better understand the people they are caring for, providing a higher quality of care.'

Over 800,000 people live with dementia in Britain and this is expected to increase to 2 million by 2050. Currently, provision of music therapy for people with dementia is uneven across the UK and those diagnosed are often not able to access it when they need to. Pemma is one of over 800 HCPC state registered music therapists who use the unique non-verbal properties of music to support people at all stages of their lives – from helping new born babies develop healthy bonds with their parents, to offering vital, sensitive and compassionate palliative care at the end of life.

Donald Wetherick, Chair of Trustees, says, 'The British Association for Music Therapy is committed to ensuring that music therapy is available to all those who can benefit. This Music Therapy Week we are focusing on people with dementia and their families. Dementia care is a growing healthcare need – it is also an area where music therapist's skills are being shown to be effective and valued. We want to see the enormous potential for music therapy in this field being realized, for the benefit of all those affected by dementia.'

Events for Music Therapy Week are taking place throughout the week from Shetland down to Truro including a parliamentary roundtable discussion sponsored by MPs Tracey Crouch and Debbie Abrahams, taster music therapy sessions, open days, exhibitions, and live improvisational gatherings.

Highlights include:

• An open community group meeting for people with dementia, their families and carers, and improvisational session and welcoming back of puffins at Simbugh Lighthouse, Shetland, Tuesday 23 June

• Open morning at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, Putney, London, Wednesday 24 June

• Roundtable parliamentary discussion, 'Music therapy and dementia: enriching life when it is needed most', Portcullis House, Victoria Embankment, Thursday 25 June

• Cornish church tower bells will peal for Music Therapy Week, Saturday 27 June

• A week of instrument making, concerts and tea parties for the children and families at Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough, All week.

 

Find out more about what's happening during Music Therapy Week 2015, view our MTW2015 Events Map.

 

To find out how you can get involved, please visit www.bamt.org and support the campaign online at Facebook and Twitter using @musictherapyuk #MTW2015 #musictherapyuk 

For supplementary information please click below:

Music Therapy & Dementia Doc

BAMT MTW2015 PR Doc

---------

For further information, please contact:

Grace Watts,

British Association for Music Therapy

M: 07989 355337

E: pr@bamt.org

APOS - Senior & Junior Prosthetist/Orthotist - Galway

Please click here to view Job Advertisement.

Blatchfords - Orthotists - Various Locations including the S West of England, the Midlands & East Anglia

For full details of this job advert please click here

Functional Casting and Contracture Management in Neurology Short Course, September 2015, London.

Functional Casting and Contracture Management in Neurology Short Course. Saturday 26th September.  Regional Rehabilitation Unit, London.

Optimising alignment and maintaining range for patients in the early stages of neuro-rehabilitation is very important. Many units now adopt techniques to apply semi-rigid casts to help maintain range although these are generally used as resting splints. Definitive Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) can play a major role in getting such patients on their feet in an optimum alignment to compliment recovery.
 
This course describes and contains a practical workshop on how these casts can be modified to act as weight bearing devices to facilitate gait as an assessment or temporary tool while waiting for a definitive orthosis to be manufactured. This also makes the cast a more dynamic device for providing stretch and maintaining muscle length.
 
The presenters have worked together for many years in this specialist inpatient neuro-rehab setting and will share how they integrate use of orthotic intervention to facilitate early treatment.

The course is open to Orthotists and therapists involved in neuro-rehabilitation along with Prosthetist-Orthotist Students.

Cost:
BAPO Member - £130
Non-member - £190

**Please note registrations close 1 September 2015**

To book a place on the workshop please click here for a copy of the booking form and submit to the BAPO Secretariat using the details below.

BAPO Bulletin June 2015

NICE

BAPO has responded to 3 NICE consultations this month on your behalf.

Stroke, Osteoarthritis and Pressure Ulcers.

HCPC Fees Increase

BAPO responded as your professional body on the consultation to increase HCPC fees. Unfortunately although we did not support the fee increases, they have decided to increase the registration fee from £80 to £90 for all registrants.

Workforce Planning

BAPO is currently involved in workforce planning nationally with 3 different work-streams in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We actively need your help to identify practitioners who are working in a different way, whether its using innovative technology, integrated in different teams or pushing the boundaries of their clinical practice- we want to hear from you for a quick synopsis.

Time is pressing, we need this evidence by 12^th June. Please e-mail us at enquiries@bapo.com with your details if you want to be involved.

2015/16 Work-streams

BAPO work-streams for 2015/16 have been identified.

·       Workforce planning

·       Professional review

·       Centres of Excellence Scheme

·       Commissioning (service specification document)

·       We will also conduct a membership review to investigate what we do as an association, where your money goes and what you want out of the association in the future.

These work-streams will run alongside existing engagement with the Orthotic service review in England, creating an evidence base for clinical practice and supporting our regional groups.

Interested in one of the subjects above and want to become involved? Contact enquiries@bapo.com

Confidential Patient Communication Guidance

Independent guidance to help ensure safe, confidential and effective emailing between patients and healthcare professionals has been published by the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB).

The guidance, created and backed by key organisations representing care professionals and patients, reflects PRSB findings that 9 out of 10 people want this electronic option to be more widely available. It builds on existing email practice to ensure that safety, confidentiality and effectiveness are assured for patients and professionals, allowing a real alternative to letters and faxes that currently cost the NHS more than £100m a year.

The PRSB, an independent body, was asked to consult widely with patient and professional representatives to develop the guidance, which is published to coincide with the new Secure Email standard issued by the health service’s authority in this area – the NHS Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI). The guidance reflects the findings of a new PRSB report into the issue, entitled Faster, better, safer, healthier communications.

Access the report here.

Access the standards and guidance here.

For further information email the PRSB at info@theprsb.org 

For details on our short course programme, please visit our website www.bapo.com

Parliament recognises that allied health professionals (AHPs) possess a diverse range of unique skills

That the Parliament recognises that allied health professionals (AHPs) possess a diverse range of unique skills and expertise in rehabilitation and enablement that are key to supporting self-management and enabling active, independent and productive living; believes that AHPs are crucial in the treatment and prevention not only of physical ill health but also of mental ill health; recognises the added value that AHPs can have in terms of preventative, upstream approaches; acknowledges that AHP interventions can significantly reduce unnecessary hospital admission and can help to reduce dependency on care services, resulting in savings to health and social care; recognises and congratulates the increasing number of AHPs in Scotland on the important role that they play in prevention, early intervention and enablement in supporting the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland throughout their lives; believes that this approach can be further strengthened through the ongoing integration of health and social care services; further believes that the valued role of AHPs would be best supported by understanding the areas that are most in need and therefore calls for an audit of the National Delivery Plan for the Allied Health Professions in Scotland, 2012 – 2015 with a specific focus on performance of self-referral as a primary route for access and musculoskeletal AHP waiting times;  - See more at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=9955&i=91428&c=1829342#sthash.MCYREGND.dpuf

Shoe Collections

Are you collecting orthopaedic shoes for charity? Please get in touch with the secretariat for details of services that have footwear that can be donated.  Collection would be required.

enquiries@bapo.com

0141 561 7217 

QuDoS awards

Are you an Orthotist working with MS. Do you want to demonstrate your role in the  treatment of MS? The QuDoS awards is now live www.qudos-ms.com. Details of the various categories and how to enter is on the website.

BAPO Bulletin April 2015

The Executive Committee are meeting on 25^th April to set the workstreams for 2015 for the association. Issues were raised at the AGM by the membership which will be discussed and an action plan will be circulated in the next month.

Professional Affairs Committee are meeting on Friday 24^th April. Included in the Agenda are progression of treatment posters; review of our standards in light of HCPCs intended update; consideration of Jonathan Wright’s proposal for a professional review; progression of regional meetings; developments with NICE and much more!

Insurance renewal

The BAPO Insurance policies renews on 01/05/15 and if by any chance you have not returned your insurance renewal form before this date then you will no longer covered under the BAPO Membership Policies so please return your form ASAP.

HCPC

HCPC have 2 consultations running at the moment.

The first is on planned changes to their Standards of conduct, performance and ethics. The consultation will run from 1 April until 26 June 2015, expecting that new standards will be in place in early 2016.


The second is on a planned rise to their annual fees.

To see the consultations and to take part visit http://www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutus/consultations/

Department of Health NHS England

New handbooks to support personalised care planning for long term conditions - NHS England has published three new handbooks to support commissioners and practitioners in planning services for people with long term conditions (LTCs), in order to achieve more effective, personalised care for this group. LTCs currently account for £7 of every £10 health and social care spend in England. The guides cover three key areas: identifying people in the population with LTCs that are most vulnerable and at risk of unplanned hospital admissions; planning personalised care and support; and best-practice multi-disciplinary working across professional and organisational boundaries.  The handbooks are available on NHS England’s website at http://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/out-frwrk/dom-2/ltc-care

Surveys

Latrobe university is running a survey open to 30^th June, 2015. They are interested in work related injuries for Prothetists and Orthotists and would like to survey the profession in the UK. You can access the survey through the link on the BAPO website front page or by clicking the link below https://latrobe.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_b4sP2QYFtTB8UuN

James Lind Alliance are looking for Orthotists to assist on the Early OA of Hip and Knee survey which aims to identify your most pressing unanswered questions about the diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment, and likely outcomes of early OA of hip and/ or knee. This will ensure that future research can be prioritised according to the needs of patients, carers and health professionals.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, so please take this opportunity to influence the future of early OA of hip and knee.

The Survey can be found here  http://tiny.cc/lb71vx  Further information here http://tiny.cc/3d71vx

Short courses

Advanced orthotic technology: functional stimulation for drop foot and associated weakness in neurologically impaired gait.

Saturday 16^th May- Birmingham cost £135Critical Appraisal course

Thursday 18^th  June  Seacroft Hospital, Leeds   £70

For more details on our short course programme, please visit our website www.bapo.com

Taycare - Orthotist Vacancy

For full details of this vacancy please click here

Ottobock - Commercial Manager Prosthetics & Orthotics: Egham

For full details of this vacancy please click here

Effectiveness of Total Contact Insoles in Patients with Plantar Fasciitis

Hilda Alcântara Veiga Oliveira, Anamaria Jones, Emília Moreira, Fabio Jennings and Jamil Natour

Abstract

Objective To assess the effectiveness of total contact insoles (TCI) in patients with plantar fasciitis (PF).

Methods A double-blind randomized controlled trial was carried out with intention-to-treat analysis. Seventy-four patients were randomly allocated to use a TCI made of ethylene vinyl acetate (study group, n = 37) or a flat insole (control group, n = 37). The following assessment tools were used: visual analog scale for pain while walking and at rest, Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) for quality of life, Foot Function Index and Foot Health Status Questionnaire for foot function, 6-min walk test (6MWT), and baropodometer FootWalk Pro for plantar pressure analysis. The groups were evaluated by a blinded assessor at baseline and after 45, 90, and 180 days.

Results The groups were homogeneous for the majority of variables at baseline. The over-time comparisons show a statistical difference between the groups for pain while walking (p = 0.008) and the 6MWT (p = 0.010). Both groups showed significant improvements in pain at rest, foot function, and some quality of life variables (physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and social functioning), with no significant statistical differences between them. The baropodometer recorded no changes from the use of the insoles.

Conclusion A TCI can be used to reduce pain while walking and to increase walking distance in individuals with PF.

Source: http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2015/03/10/jrheum.140429.abstract 

Effects of Ankle–Foot Orthoses on Functional Recovery after Stroke: A Propensity Score Analysis Based on Japan Rehabilitation Database

Ryo Momosaki, Masahiro Abo, Shu Watanabe, Wataru Kakuda, Naoki Yamada, Shoji Kinoshita 

The purpose of the present study was to investigate potential effects of ankle–foot orthoses (AFOs) on the functional recovery of post-acute stroke patients following rehabilitation.

Subjects and Methods

This study is a retrospective cohort study. Participants were in-hospital stroke patients registered in the Japan Rehabilitation Database between 2005 and 2012. A total of 1862 patients were eligible after applying exclusion criteria. Propensity score analysis was applied to adjust for potential bias and to create two comparable groups. An additional subset analysis focused on Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores on admission.

Results

In this sample, 30.7% of 1863 eligible patients were prescribed AFOs. Propensity score matched analysis showed that patients with AFOs had significantly higher scores than those without them for discharge FIM (mean: 91.3 vs 85.8; p=0.02), FIM gain (mean: 28.9 vs 23.5; p<0.001), and FIM efficiency (mean: 0.27 vs 0.22; p<0.001). Inverse probability weighting analysis showed similar results. In the subset analysis, patients with AFOs had significantly higher discharge FIM compared with those without them in the low admission FIM subgroup only. In addition, patients with AFOs performed independent exercise more than those without them (p<0.001).

Conclusions

These data suggest that stroke survivors may have better functional recovery if they are prescribed an AFO than if they are not prescribed an AFO. The use of AFOs is considered to be a feasible option to improve functional recovery of stroke rehabilitation patients.

Source: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122688 

Rehabilitation Interventions for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review

In a systemic review of the literature, Abbaskhanian et al suggests that clinicians should depend on their clinical experience and patient values to handle the clinical decision-making process in determining the prescription of AFOs.

The found evidence encouraging the use of an articulated ankle foot orthosis (AFO) by children with CP because of the enhanced function when using this type of orthosis. Yet, other studies indicated the advantages of a rigid orthosis for children with greater disabilities involving spasticity and contracture. 

http://cdn.neoscriber.org/cdn/serve/70/08/7008dff33bed20188825836989b3259d1b77212b/jpr-03-361.pdf

Opcare - Orthotists, Various Positions

Please click here for further information on the job advertisements available.

BAPO Measuring Change Document - April 2015

Measuring Change: An Introduction to Clinical Outcome Measures in Prosthetics and Orthotics

In today’s demanding and pressured healthcare environment it is essential that the effects of medical interventions, including prosthetic and orthotic care, are accurately assessed and recorded. Outcome measures (OMs) are useful in assessment, clinical decision making and evidencing the outcomes of treatment to either the service user or third parties. OMs also facilitate clinical audit and research. 

The Measuring Change document is the result of a one year project by a working group formed by members of the BAPO Professional Affairs and Education committees. The working group initially conducted a survey of Prosthetists and Orthotists in the UK to determine existing use and knowledge of OMs. Following this, a small group of OMs were selected and literature reviews were conducted to identify the measures’ psychometric properties in addition to normal data and minimal clinically important difference values. The included OMs are the numeric pain rating scale (NRS-11), socket comfort score (SCS), 10 metre walk test (10MWT), timed up and go (TUG) and disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH). The Measuring Change document includes the results of the reviews, instructions on how to use and interpret the selected OMs, a summary of the survey results, and an introduction to relevant psychometric terms and concepts. The primary aim of the document is to enable Prosthetists and Orthotists to understand and use simple OMs in clinical practice to improve patient care.

Measuring Change is available for BAPO members to download from the members section of BAPOnline. Non-members may request hard copies (paperback, 40 pages, full colour) from enquiries@bapo.com at a cost of £10.