About our resident Occupational Therapist

I knew I wanted to be an Occupational Therapist from quite a young age. I grew up in New Zealand and had a family friend who was born with Spina Bifida. I spent a lot of time with her, and through this was able to spend time with her at school and saw how therapists worked with her. I left school after obtaining the equivalent of 5 A levels and was accepted into Auckland University of Technology (Auckland Institute of Technology at the time). I spent 3 years studying to gain a Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational Therapy).

After finishing this, I made plans to travel. I gained a position in a nursing and residential home as my first job to start saving for travelling. I worked there for just over a year, before I left NZ and headed for the States. I spent 3 months working in summer camp, before travelling up the East Coast and then heading to the UK. Once in the UK, I had to sit an exam to become registered with the Health Professionals Council. After achieving this, I started working as a Locum Occupational Therapist.

I worked in hospitals, mostly on orthopaedic and general medical wards. After a year of combining this work with travelling, I headed back through the States and back to NZ. Once back, I was successful in getting job at Auckland hospital. I was here for 15 months and worked on cardiac and respiratory wards and short term rehab wards. Then moved onto the neurosurgery and neurology wards. After this time, I decided to head back to the UK.

I began locuming again. I worked in an Intermediate care team, which is a short term rehab service of 6 weeks in the community. This was to assist people returning from hospital to home, or to avoid admission to hospital. There were also rehab beds, for people to be discharged from hospital or for further rehab before going home. This is when I realised community work was where I wanted to be. After working in this post for 6 months, I moved cities and began working in social services in 2004. I gained permanent employment and gained a lot of knowledge and experience in working with people with long term conditions in their own homes. This role involves assessing people at home and providing specialist equipment and making recommendations for adaptations. Minor adapataions include  grab rails, intercoms, external rails and rehanging doors. Major adaptations to the property include such as level access showers (wet room), ramps, stair lifts, through floor lifts, step lifts, and in some rare cases extensions to property to enable one level living. These adapataions are carried out to enable the person to remain at home and be as independent as possible. Carers’ needs are also taken into consideration and equipment can be provided to make their roles easier. I also become skilled in moving and handling people, providing the right equipment and teaching carers how to safely move a person. 

After gaining experience in this area, I was then successful at becoming a Senior Practitioner in 2008, which I did for 2 years, before moving to London, where I began locuming again and started looking into becoming an independent OT, setting up my company Ask an OT Limited.

I am a very experienced practiioner and am very competent in moving and handling, seating, minor and major adaptations and equipment provision. 

I am HCPC (Health Care Professionals Council) registered, a member of BAOT (Bristish Association of Occupational Therapists) and the COTSS-IP (College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section - Independent Practicse).