Working Life: I see a client on sick leave due to a tendon-related problem

Jane Brownlee, clinical specialist occupational therapist, Work-Able Solutions service, HSE

Jane Brownlee, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist – Work-Able Solutions Service with the HSE. Photograph Moya Nolan

6.30am

The kids (five and three) do the wake-up call. Quick breakfast and lunch duty before I head to work. My husband does the school drops.

8am

I arrive at Athy Primary Care Centre for an initial appointment with a client who has come to see me before work. She’s struggling with back pain in her role as a receptionist. We discuss work habits, routines, and positioning, and identify changes she can implement in work before our next appointment in two weeks.

10am

My emails show two GP referrals sent via Healthlink this morning. I screen the referrals by phone, introduce the service, ask about their work-related problems, and schedule initial assessments. Early access and intervention is a cornerstone of the service.

My base is in Naas Hospital, but I cover all of Kildare and west Wicklow with outreach sites in Clane, Newbridge, and Athy. Ours is one of three Work-Able Solutions services, the other two are in Dublin (St Vincent’s University Hospital) and Waterford.

11am

Coffee and a snack before presenting at a clinical team meeting to update primary care team members on developments in the Work-Able Solutions service and referral pathways.

11.30am

I see a client on sick leave from work in a supermarket due to a tendon-related problem. We’re working on a return-to-work plan and therapy programme.

1pm

Lunch with primary care colleagues.

1.30pm

I have a video appointment with a client with arthritis who was struggling with aspects of his mechanical engineering role in a factory. It’s our final session so we review his goals and therapy outcomes — he’s doing really well.

3pm

Report writing to round off the working day. Firstly, a report to an employer with reasonable accommodations to support a client who works as a phlebotomist to retain her work role, and secondly, a discharge report to a GP with feedback on a client who has completed the programme.

4.30pm

Home to the family for catch-ups, homework, play, dinner, stories/chill out.

8pm

I blow off steam during hockey training at Naas Hockey Club. Training with the over-35s Irish hockey team has started as we begin preparations for the World Cup in South Africa in October.

• Work-Able Solutions is a HSE pilot programme delivering integrated care, occupational therapy and vocational rehabilitation for people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, funded by Sláintecare.
• For details see: exa.mn/work-able-solutions