Royal at Middlesbrough hospital cancelled over ‘bad weather’

Princess Anne was to attend the 20th anniversary of the occupational therapy team in health and social care at the Middlesbrough hospital, but the visit was called off yesterday morning (Thursday, February 19), while news of her brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest hit the headlines. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Princess Royal was unable at attend the visit today due to adverse weather conditions preventing the helicopter from flying.”

Teesside Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, who lives in Eaglescliffe, came and spoke to members of the South Tees occupational therapy service, which helps patients with recovery and independent living. She said: “It’s been amazing. I think what just shines through is passion from everyone here, to make sure people access the right services quickly and well.

“This is the reality of how people make it work. People are at the heart of it, people giving absolutely everything to make sure people get the right treatment, to make sure people can live in their own homes.”

Christina Hartley, head of occupational therapy, explained the broad range of patients helped by the service: “We try to use whatever activity is meaningful to that person. We look at people’s function, what they want to achieve and what makes them whole.

“We have a lot of freedom to utilise our creative skills to ensure that people are as independent as possible. That can be right the way from neo-natal care to end of life and frailty. We work across mental health, education, acute trusts, social care environments, anywhere that has people.”

She said the partnership between the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland councils’ social care provided a seamless service for patients: “At the moment we’re looking at how to bring occupational therapy into the future, going from analogue to digital, care closer to home, providing services where people want to be cared for.”

The event included representatives from the trust, the councils and other organisations like Teesside Hospice, showing a range of chairs, aids, adaptations, sensory support, presentations, lectures and safety advice. Tracy Horton, who worked over 30 years from an occupational therapy assistant in social services to an advanced clinical practitioner for frailty, said: “I love what I do. I love coming to work every day. I feel like I can make a difference to patients and their families.

“I work in A&E with frail patients. We’d look at how we can prevent them coming back into hospital, what services we can put in place to help them live at home where they want to be. We link with social care, community services, the voluntary sector.”

Occupational therapists Donya Martin and Emma Wilson, from Middlesbrough and Redcar councils respectively, both working in care homes, displayed a “sleep system” of pillows, kits and covers to support patients who struggle to lie in a central position and can no longer stand on their own. Ms Wilson said such help was “life-changing”.

Nicola Simpson and Jo Sinton, occupational therapists for 18 years, used a VR headset which helps palliative care patients to ease breathlessness, anxiety and pain. This puts the viewer in destinations including a peaceful lake, beaches, safaris, waterfalls, gardens, underwater and in space for relaxation sessions.

Ms Simpson said: “It’s about enabling them to do the things they enjoy doing and getting meaning out of life. That can become really difficult when you’re not well, so supporting patients is really important, physically and psychologically.”

Michelle Watson, deputy chief operating officer for community, told Baroness Thompson during the visit: “We’re trying to work together so people aren’t in that place of telling their story 400 times and so they get the right care they need, the right intervention at the right time by the right person.”