BETTER access to occupational therapy could cut the number of unnecessary hospital admissions and ease pressure on the NHS, a report released today has found.

Following a year-long study, the College of Occupational Therapists is urging health boards and local councils in Wales to increase investment in occupational therapy.

The College wants them to take “urgent action”, and put in place recommendations that it says could ensure safer discharges and improve patients’ experience when in hospital.

Ruth Crowder, the College’s Welsh policy officer, said: “Welsh health and care services are under considerable financial pressure.

“Shifting occupational therapy resource to the front line of care, in everything from A&E departments to primary care and in the community, can play a vital role in reducing hospital admissions in Wales.”

The College’s Improving Lives Saving Money report recommends that older and frailer people have access to occupational therapists (OTs) as part of wider GP-level services.

It also asks says that OTs should be included in rapid response and acute and emergency teams, and that funding for extended out-of-hours access be improved.

A six-month case study, in which an OT was introduced at the Argyle Street practice in Pembroke Dock, saw a significant reduction in repeat visits to the surgery.

Fourteen patients avoided hospital admission following OT assessment, and of a further six who met with the OT following a stay in hospital, none had been re-admitted four weeks later.

When asked, 81 per cent of patients who had fallen reported increased feelings of safety and confidence in their ability to undertake everyday activities.

Interventions included rehabilitation programmes, assistive aids and home adaptations, advice, supporting self-management of conditions, and working with other services.

Sarah Rochira, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, said occupational therapists had a “vital role to play in supporting older people to maintain and regain their independence”.

“Rather than providing a one-size-fits-all approach that is still too common across our health and social care services, occupational therapy delivers a person-centred approach, considering the physical and mental health and wellbeing of an individual, which has been shown to deliver better outcomes and make a real difference to people’s lives.”