Our values: Evidence informed practice

At the Occupational Therapy Service, we believe people deserve the very best of our profession. That means our decisions must be grounded in the latest evidence, research, and clinical standards, Real-life occupational goals guide every assessment, every recommendation, in every plan we make.

Evidence is part of how we think and how we work. It helps us stay accountable and clear but most importantly, it gives people confidence that the support they receive from us is safer, effective and meaningful to them. And at The Occupational Therapy Service we also feel it is our responsibility to share evidence-based practice with the wider occupational therapy community and the commercial world – we do this in many ways.

One example of this is our partnership with Abacus Specialist Bathroom Solutions. This assisted bathroom and bath manufacturer is a respected specialist in inclusive bathing and also delivers the Abacus Academy. The Academy is a free training resource for healthcare professionals which, with our knowledge, provides:

• Accessible evidence-based education and product knowledge – online and at exhibitions 
• National lunch and learn sessions for occupational therapists and support staff, linking current research with everyday practise. 
• Training and development for teams and organisations who want to strengthen the clinical reasoning behind their decisions. 
• Specialist clinical expertise to bather assessments through associates with an average of 19.8 years postgraduate experience

We are fortunate to have a large network of highly skilled occupational therapists working in specialist fields across the UK. We draw on their experience every day as they understand what good evidence looks like and how to apply it in real world settings, such as with Abacus bathing provision. They also know how to explain it in a way that makes sense to the people we support and the companies we partner with.

Evidence informed practise isn’t just a business value we list, but more it’s part of the culture of The Occupational Therapy Service; you will find it in the questions that we ask, the justification in the decisions we make and how we teach others to do the same.

We are committed to raising the standard of occupational therapy wherever we work and because evidence guides our work, people can trust the difference it makes.