Children’s occupational therapy services in Tower Hamlets are provided by Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust. We work with children and young people to help them do the everyday things that all children need or want to do.
The service is integrated with occupational therapy in social care. The therapists work from smaller teams: the acute team, the special school and Richard House team, the mainstream and early year’s team, the developmental co-ordination team, and the Phoenix School team.
Our services
We offer assessment and goal-based help for young people with difficulties doing everyday tasks themselves. We work together with the young people, their carers at home and at school, their families and teachers, to develop strategies to try, and practical ideas to help meet their needs.
Common areas we help with include:
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feeding,
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dressing,
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using the toilet,
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personal care/washing,
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providing equipment and adaptation advice to enable access and care within the home such as ramps, rails, hoists, bath aids and stair lifts,
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handwriting,
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cutting and pasting (scissors),
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play,
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discharge planning, and
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hand therapy and scar management.
Young people that are commonly seen by an occupational therapist include:
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pre-school and school-aged children with physical and learning disabilities,
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school-aged children with developmental co-ordination disorder,
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children with autistic spectrum disorder,
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children with acute medical needs, and
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children being assessed by autistic spectrum disorder assessment service and the child development team.
How to find us
The main office of the children’s occupational therapy service can be found in Block 2 at Mile End Hospital. The office is staffed from 9am-5pm, from Monday- Friday.
Therapists work with the young person within the home, school or community.
The acute team provide services at the Royal London Hospital and are based in Garden House and the Hands department (out patients annex).
The special school team are based at Stephen Hawking or Beatrice Tate School and they also provide services to Richard House Hospice in Newham.
The mainstream and early year’s team are based in the main office and the child development team at Wellington Way.
The developmental co-ordination team are based in the main office and treatment sessions can be offered at the Sparks Centre (Smart Street).
The Phoenix School team are based within the school.
Getting an appointment
Anybody can refer to the service if they are able to provide enough information to enable us to process the referral and describe the young person’s function difficulties. New referrals to the service from education, social care and health should be provided using the common assessment framework (CAF) with prior consent of the parents.
Please telephone the department if you have any enquires. Once a referral is accepted, the referrer and parents will be informed via letter. An appointment will be made with the family within 18 weeks.
Contact us
For further information, please contact us.
