The OT Service is led by Kate, Adam, Samantha and Lucy who are highly respected occupational therapists in their respective fields and continue to hold clinical caseloads to maintain an in-depth knowledge in their area of practice.

Directors

Kate Sheehan

Director & Occupational Therapist

Kate qualified from Derby School of Occupational Therapy in 1987.

Kate is a well-respected occupational therapist, with over 30 years of experience. She is the former chairperson and treasurer of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists specialist section – Housing (COTSS – H) and represented the Royal College of Occupational Therapists in Europe. Kate chaired the genHOME research project working on the evidence base for housing modifications.

Kate has worked in partnership with Bristol University on the publication of ‘Minor adaptations without delay’, funded by the Housing Corporation and Royal College of Occupational Therapists, co-authored the new 2018 edition of the Wheelchair Housing Design Guide and wrote two chapters of the “Essential Guide for Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists’.

She has presented her work on inclusive design and housing standards at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists in Sydney, Australia, COTEC in Milan and at the RCOTSS-H conference.  She has also developed and taught on the first accessible housing course in Croatia and Bosnia.

Kate is a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist sections – Independent Practice and Housing as well as being registered with the Health Care Professionals Council.  She maintains a high level of professional development and feels the key to providing her clients with an excellent service is maintaining close networks within the commercial, housing and occupational therapy fields.

In her spare time Kate supports the local primary school in maintaining their wild gardens and is a campaigner for excellent education for all.

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Adam Ferry

Graduating in 2007 with an Occupational Therapy BSc, Adam worked in the NHS until he left in 2018 to work full-time in the private sector as a director of The OT Service, although there was a two – year period when these roles overlapped.

Whist in the NHS Adam worked in a range of clinical areas but predominantly emergency care, then neurological rehabilitation as a senior therapist.  In the final 3 years of NHS employment Adam managed acute and rehabilitation services across four sites.

Over recent years Adam has continued to develop a clinical reputation within neurological rehabilitation and falls, holding a complex caseload supporting case managers and their clients.  However, it is within commercial consultancy that Adam has developed his national and international profile, being responsible for development of The OT Show CPD programme as well as expert consultancy for high profile companies such as AKW, Closomat, Invacare, Mangar International and Abacus Healthcare.

Adam is a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists and the College of Occupational Therapists Specialist sections – Independent Practice and Older People as well as being registered with the Health Care Professionals Council (OT52788)

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Samantha Shann

Director

Samantha qualified in 1992 as an occupational therapist and gained her masters in 2011.  She also holds a post-graduate teaching qualification in academic practice. Samantha is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and a member of RCOT’s specialist sections – Older Persons and Mental Health as well as being registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council.

Samantha’s clinical speciality centres on those with mental health concerns, while her wider role with The OT Service involves supervision and mentoring as well as consultancy to businesses focusing on training and occupational therapy expertise.

Samantha is the president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).  She is committed to promoting and advocating for the profession by supporting the development of professional standards and new educational programmes.

Until 2016 Samantha held the position of senior lecturer at Northumbria University overseeing aspects of the BSc (Hons) and MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy programmes, with a particular interest in supporting students and graduates in developing new services. Samantha remains a regular guest lecturer at various national and international universities.

Through her work with the WFOT Samantha represents the occupational therapy profession at high-level World Health Organisation (WHO) meetings and contributes to specific WHO projects for example the GATE (Global Assistive Technology) initiative, Rehabilitation 2030 and Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). Samantha is also a founding board member for the International Society for Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP).

Samantha is a sought after speaker at national and international conferences sharing her expertise on promoting professional identity and establishing occupational therapy services.

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Lucy Leonard

Occupational Therapist

Qualified to master’s level, Lucy graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 1999 and worked in acute mental health as well as rehabilitation for people with enduring mental health problems.  She then went on to work in a community setting where she developed extensive skills in equipment and adaptations for adults with complex, long-term and neurological conditions.

In recent years, Lucy has worked as a specialist occupational therapist and having owned her own business providing expert occupational therapy she is now a director at The OT Service.  Lucy has also worked as a consultant occupational therapist for several UK-based companies to advise on their new products as well as working with the Disabled Living Foundation Charity to develop their website.

Lucy has delivered lectures on integrated working and has spoken to academics at Sheffield Hallam on integration to support their new ‘integrated curriculum’ and was subsequently invited as the key-note speaker at the Inter-professional Education Conference.  Lucy has appeared on BBC’s ‘Breakfast’ television to discuss innovative practice and has been interviewed on Radio 4’s ‘World at One’ regarding integrated working.  She is an external examiner and guest lecturer at Sheffield Hallam and Salford Universities and also assesses undergraduate medical students at The University of Liverpool.

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Office Team

Our clients, partners and associates are fully supported by a skilled team of office staff, Brian, Lisa and Jill, ensuring a high-quality service in line with OT Service values.

Brian Trotter

Practice Manager

Brian has a wide variety of experiences to draw on in his role as Practice Manager. He graduated in 1997 from The University of Brighton with a Ba (Hons) in Physical and Business Education.  He spent some time in London fitness instructing and sports coaching before re-locating to the North East, setting up his own business with the help of the Prince’s Trust. 

As personal and professional circumstances changed Brian moved into an 14 year healthcare career,  firstly with the ambulance service and latterly in an NHS Acute Occupational Therapy service as a Technical Instructor. He is now our full-time Practice Manager and brings a committed and creative approach to the service we provide.

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Lisa Herron

Clinical Co-ordinator

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Jill Straker

Administrator

Jill began working for The OT Service in 2020 following 30 years of work in statutory services. She brings a wealth of experience from a variety of administrative and secretarial roles, many in the NHS and thus has a huge understanding of the healthcare sector and the importance of effective administration.

Jill has helped The OT Service go from strength to strength and she is the first port of call for referrals, associate queries and general enquiries.

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Associates

Susan Petrie

Occupational Therapist

Susan is an occupational therapist with over 15 years of experience in Scotland and Australia.  She has worked in both in-patient and community psychiatric services including forensics and as a result, gained a thorough understanding of risk-management.  Susan over 10 years of experience in adult community neuro-rehabilitation working with clients who are living with acquired and traumatic brain injuries

Susan is confident working with individuals to develop cognitive strategies to increase their independence, including the use of mainstream technology.  She enjoys working with individuals who experience challenging behaviours in order to improve function and engagement with others.

Susan has led research projects within the community TBI population, exploring compensatory strategies and sensory modulation interventions to reduce challenging behaviours. She has also provided teaching in the area of cognitive rehabilitation to both students and clinicians, and enjoys providing mentoring and training support.

Susan is an accredited AMPs assessor and is trained in the motivational interviewing technique, both of which are valuable for use with psychiatric and neuro-rehabilitation client groups.

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Sarah Pascall

Occupational Therapist

Sarah qualified as an occupational therapist in 1989.  Since qualifying, she has worked in various fields of occupational therapy concentrating primarily in adult neurosciences and children with physical difficulties. She has held a clinical specialist position in neurology and neurosurgery as well as an occupational therapy management position at a London hospital. In addition, she has coordinated a National Falls Audit for the College of Occupational Therapy and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Sarah set up in private practice in 2005 and has experience in the preparation of reports for parents outlining children’s areas of need as well as reports for education.  Currently specialising in the assessment and treatment of children up to the age of 18 years with physical, sensory processing and learning difficulties. Sarah also works part time as a Children’s Physical Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist for the NHS with a responsibility for leading on the development of the Early Year’s Service.

Sarah is a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists and is registered with the Health Care Professions Council.

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Esmé Wood

Occupational Therapist

Esmé is an independent occupational therapist, academic researcher, and experienced university lecturer. She is a clinical specialist in dementia care with a range of experience working in, and leading, dementia services across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, and remains a HCPC registered occupational therapist. “Occupational therapy practice, values and professional identity remains at the heart of my academic and research work.”

As a teaching fellow with the Higher Education Academy, Esmé also has considerable teaching experience as a senior academic working at several universities in the UK.  She has contributed to the development, delivery, and evaluation of courses at BSc, MSc and professional CPD level. With a particular interest in blended learning and online pedagogy, she also works as an approved assessor for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

With a good publishing record, Esmé is also a reviewer for several scientific journals, research blogger and has supervised research at both BSc and MSc level. Her own doctoral research explored the lived experience of both family carers and people with early-stage dementia who used safer walking technology to maintain outdoor occupations.

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Debbie Racki

Occupational Therapist

Debbie qualified in 2006 and has worked in a variety of settings, including acute hospitals, community, and inpatient rehabilitation. She is skilled in completing holistic occupational therapy assessments and formulating targeted evidence-based treatment plans for a range of musculoskeletal and psychological conditions affecting working age and older adults, including those who have served in the armed forces.

Currently working in occupational health, she has an interest in chronic pain and fatigue management, including Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome.  She is well practised in formulating realistic return to work plans or to avoid absence due to psychological or musculoskeletal conditions.

Debbie has experience working with people recovering or adjusting to illness, post fracture, injuries or surgery, including amputations.  This work includes prescription of equipment, minor home adaptations, wheelchair assessments and falls prevention strategies. She also has specialist skills in the assessment and rehabilitation of the hand and upper limb post-trauma or surgery, including peripheral nerve injuries, rheumatological conditions, desensitisation treatment and scar management. She is also able to advise on appropriate splints.

An area of her specialism includes screening for mental health disorders and implementing interventions and facilitating self-management strategies for anxiety, low mood, stress and PTSD. These include mindfulness, relaxation and cognitive behavioural technique strategies.

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Testimonials

Hear what our team has to say about us.

Since becoming an associate with the OT Service I have felt incredibly well supported. The team are always quick to respond to emails and calls and even though I’ve only met one or two face to face, I feel like part of the team. Moving into independent practice was daunting so to be working with the OT service who are understanding and respectful of that, has been a blessing.

A – Associate Therapist

I signed up to work with The OT Service almost a year ago. They are a super company to work for. You never feel pressurised to take on work if you feel you haven’t got the capacity and the team are grateful for the time you can offer. The staff are approachable, always have time for you and put a lot of trust in your experience. Although autonomous, you are well supported by experienced clinicians.

S – Associate Therapist

My experience so far as an associate working with The OT Service has been nothing but positive. Support is on hand for assistance with systems and processes, and the access to another clinician as part of the quality assurance process is reassuring. The rates of pay are attractive and it’s very refreshing to be paid in such a timely manner, as an Independent OT. I am really loving working with TOTS, just wish I had more capacity to take more!

A – Associate Therapist