If an illness, disability, accident or frailty means you have difficulty carrying out everyday activities and you are eligible for community care services, the occupational therapy service can support you in becoming more independent at home.

The occupational therapy team can:

• help you to regain skills that you have lost because of illness or disability
• identify equipment and home adaptations to help you with everyday activities
• advise your carer or carers on how best to assist you
• assess and address your carer's needs.

Apply to receive occupational therapy

Your first step to receiving occupational therapy, is to contact Adult Social Care. Someone else, such as your doctor, home help, relative or friend, can contact us on your behalf if you give them your permission.

If you need occupational therapy services for a child, then you should visit The Local Offer website.

After you contact us, we will arrange to visit you as soon as we can. We get a large number of requests for our services, so you may have to wait a while before we visit you.

Assessing your needs

We will determine whether you are eligible for occupational therapy services by assessing your ability to carry out everyday activities. We will:

• ask you to describe and demonstrate any difficulties you have in carrying out daily activities
• discuss how your medical condition and home environment affect your abilities and lifestyle
• find out what you feel your problems are and what you would like to achieve.

You are welcome to invite members of your family, friends, carers or advocates to be present. We can also arrange for an interpreter if required.

Equipment and home adaptations

As part of your assessment we will determine what equipment you need. We may also recommend adaptations to your home, such as fitting support rails in the bathroom, and where appropriate make arrangements for the adaptation to be carried out.

Find out more about simple aids for the home

Making a care plan for you

If you are eligible for occupational therapy services, we will produce a care plan for you. The care plan will list your needs, and the services that you need to address those needs. We will give you a copy of your care plan.

We may ask your GP or hospital consultant for information about your medical condition and any treatment you are receiving. If so, you will be asked to sign a consent form giving your permission for the doctor to supply a report.

How much it costs

There is no charge for an occupational therapy assessment, though there may be charges for equipment and home adaptations. Disabled facilities grants may be available to you, which you can put towards the cost of adaptations to your home.