Occupational therapy

We assess all patients individually so we can understand their needs and any concerns they may have. This helps us make sure everyone gets the right therapy and support.

We can provide equipment to help you live more independently, and your occupational therapist can teach you new ways to carry out daily activities. They can also help you adapt tasks at home so they are safer and easier for you to manage.

We offer a hospital‑based outpatient service that supports people with conditions that affect the hand.

We will help you if you are referred by a hand or orthopaedic surgeon. When needed, we also see patients on the ward.

We give you advice to help you manage your condition and carry out assessments for different types of splints. These include handmade thermoplastic splints and off‑the‑shelf splints. We also provide hand rehabilitation programmes, and our South Tyneside Hand Therapy Team can offer wound care if you need it. 

We can help you with assessment and advice if you are referred to us by your GP or consultant.

We help with conditions such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis - a condition where your immune system attacks the lining of your joints by mistake
• Osteoarthritis - this happens when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time
• Fibromyalgia - a long‑term condition that causes pain all over the body
• Hypermobility - this is when your joints can move more than normal

If you have a fall then you might be referred to our occupational therapists.

We will visit you in your home environment to do some assessments. We will then give you advice and sometimes special equipment to help you complete daily tasks again. 

We can work with you if you have: 

• a planned operation - like knee or hip replacements 
• an emergency operation - like arm, leg or spine fractures or other soft tissue conditions

If you have a planned operation, we will invite you to classes before your surgery. This is to help you prepare for any changes you need to make doing tasks easier. We will also give you equipment before your surgery so you can go home as soon as you're well enough. 

If you've had an emergency operation, we'll work with you during your recovery. 

We assess you if you're on a medical and surgical wards. This is so we can make sure it's safe for you to go home as soon as you're well enough,

This includes wards like:

• vascular (arteries and veins)
• general surgery
• renal medicine (kidneys)
• endocrinology (hormones and glands)
• thoracic medicine (lung and chest)

We look after you if you are getting support from a geriatric consultant. This is so we can get you home safely as soon as you're well enough.

We work closely with you and your family if you are living with conditions such as Dementia and Parkinson’s too.

We work with you if you have had an acute stroke. This is so we can prepare you for going home or for more therapy on the neuro-rehabilitation ward. 

Our interface team is made up of occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

They provide quick assessments in departments including: 

• Emergency Department (ED)
• Emergency Admissions Unit (EAU)
• Fracture Clinic
• Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)
• Chest Pain Assessment Unit (CPAU)
• Ward B20

We're here to help patients who come in to hospital avoid being admitted as an inpatient if they don't medically need to. This means we can keep beds free for the most poorly patients. 

We will assess you in the ward to help make sure you're safe and well to go home as soon as possible. 

We will visit you on your ward and ask you questions about your home life and how you managed daily tasks before you came into hospital.

We might consider:

• getting on and off the bed
• getting in and out the bath
• personal care tasks
• tasks in the kitchen
• how you manage to move around

If you are struggling with a task, we can teach you how to adapt the task or give you equipment that might help you once you're home. For some patients, we might visit you at home. This is to check whether you need any more equipment or if you need any changes to be made.

We can also make help with carer support, more therapy at home or more rehabilitation. 

South Tyneside District Hospital

We're on the Ground floor of Ingham Wing. This is the main hospital building. It is straight ahead if you enter on Harton Lane. 

Sunderland Royal Hospital

We're in Chester Wing entrance 8.

We're on B floor. Follow signs to Occupational Therapy. 

Click the links below to watch some useful videos: 

• Total hip replacements
• Total knee replacements

• Osteoarthritis in your hand
• Wrist fractures