The funding of occupational therapy assessments will now be funded by a central fund, managed by SSAFA Grants. This article will set the guidance for arranging an OT assessment using this fund.
You will no longer need to almonise for an OT assessment.
The process is as follows;
- Following your initial client visit, completion of Form A (except the report) and gathering of necessary documentation and evidence, if your client requires an occupational therapy assessment, send this referral form to [email protected].
- SSAFA Grants will refer the client to the OT Practice using Enterprise, the OT Practice's central database. When the referral form is sent to OT Practice, it will also be sent to EME (Electric Mobility) who will contact you to introduce themselves.
- The OT Practice will contact the client directly to arrange the visit, caseworkers or SSAFA central office will only be contacted if the OT is unable to arrange a visit or encounters any issues.
- The visit will be a joint visit with an occupational therapist and a mobility equipment specialist from EME so the recommendation of equipment will be contained within the report itself and there will be no need for a mandatory follow-up visit.
- The OT Practice will arrange for the invoice to be paid with SSAFA Grants directly.
- SSAFA's Grants Team will receive the report and email the Regional Office and caseworker with a copy.
- A copy of the report will also be sent to EME, who will immediately start working on the quotation and send this directly to the referrer.
- The caseworker can then complete their caseworker's report with recommendations from the OT report, quotation from EME and continue casework as usual.
Form Completion Guidance
- You must complete the form on the original PDF which you can download from the link above. Scanned copies will not be accepted. The Welfare team need to be able to change assessment type if necessary and this is not possible if scanned copies are sent.
- For question 3 under 'Background Information' on the form - "Are there any other services involved with the client"? A clear and explicit explanation is required regarding the exhaustion of statutory provisions. Referral forms will not be submitted without supporting evidence explaining why the OT report cannot be conducted by the local authority, especially for complex assessment cases.
- You must include a reference number which is the Mosaic ID.
- You must send the form with the date that you are sending to the Welfare inbox, not the date that the form was completed. This is to ensure that the KPI is accurate.
Additional Notes
In order for this service to run as efficiently and seamlessly as possible, please include as much information in the initial referral form to avoid any delay so that TOTP and Electric Mobility can conduct their services as quickly as they can for the beneficiary, this includes selecting the right type of assessment (standard, general or complex) when you submit the referral.
Benefits
- TOTP already work with RAFBF with a centralised system and other major charities (RBL, RAFBF, Bank Workers Charity)
- Having a central contract with TOTP will enable us to conduct joint visits with the OT and a mobility equipment specialist.
- The process should be much more efficient, ultimately resulting in a better service for the beneficiary.
- No almonisation required by the caseworker for an OT assessment or seeking of quotes for mobility equipment.
- If/when we experience issues with OT cases, we will be better placed to find resolution due to our contract and close working relationship with TOTP moreso than using local OT practices.
The central pot of funding has come from TRBL so it should be noted that though we appreciate that some caseworkers do use local OT practices, the move now should be towards a new centralised process.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
Please note for Overseas and ROI cases, you will need to follow already established practice almonising for the OT Assessment as the OT Practice do not operate outside of the UK.
Example of Completed TOTP Form
