Date published: 2025-11-13 | Category: Adult Social Care and Health, Delivering for local residents, Health and Care
Visitors at a new occupational therapy assessment centre in Midsomer Norton learned how equipment and adaptations make a difference to promote independence at home.
The OT Assessment Centre, located at the Combe Lea Community Resource Centre, is the first of its kind in Bath & North East Somerset. The service helps people to live more independently by assessing needs, providing advice, and tailored equipment or home adaptations. There are also plans to run a pilot scheme for wearable pendant alarms and other assistive technology.
Already more people are benefitting from the service, as well as other measures, that have seen waiting times fall from 229 in January to 41 in October this year. People who are referred to the centre are offered an appointment within a couple of weeks, and feedback has been positive.
The official launch, to coincide with national Occupational Therapy Week, showcased how early intervention from social care occupational therapists can prevent, reduce or delay the need for care and reduce pressure on services.
Councillor Alison Born, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: “The council has invested in this centre and it is already proving to be great support to residents going through illness or injury and for people with a disability. I’m delighted to see that our residents are getting personalised care, equipment and adaptations to improve quality of life and supporting them to live independently.”
For more information, visit https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/social-care-occupational-therapy-team
Notes to editors
Waiting times are dropping for people receiving care from Bath & North East Somerset Council due to a significant overhaul of Adult Social Care services.
The number of people waiting for a Care Act Assessment, which is the way social workers understand someone’s needs and what help is available to them, fell dramatically from 201 people in January to 65 in October this year.
Also, 74 per cent of people requiring an annual review, which makes sure someone’s support needs are being met appropriately, have had theirs within a one-year timescale.
These improvements come as the service receives an average of 255 new care assessment requests each month.
These figures are set out in a cabinet report.