The Role of Occupational Therapy in Promoting Equal Access for Mental Health Service Users with Physical Disability

Abstract

People with serious mental health problems have a high incidence of long-term conditions and associated physical disability. This practice analysis considers the negative experience of some disabled service users in a mental health organisation in relation to environmental challenges and describes actions taken by the occupational therapy service to improve these. It introduces the role of a multidisciplinary ‘design authority group’ to co-ordinate technical and clinical input to capital projects. The article argues that, by taking a more holistic approach, occupational therapy services both make a real difference to service user experience and raise the profile of the profession's contribution in this area.