An Acute Medical Admission Unit: Is There a Place for an Occupational Therapist?

Since the Griffiths Report (1988), the profile of community care has risen. At the same time, economic constraints imposed on the health care system have led to increased pressure on acute hospital beds. This has had an effect on the nature of the occupational therapy service. At the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust, a move has been taken to address this challenge by setting up an occupational therapy service in the Acute Medical Admission Unit (AMAU). This article examines the role of occupational therapy in this setting and provides details of a 6-month audit. It was identified that occupational therapy in this area enabled people to be discharged home successfully within a 48-hour period and, as a result of the early screening in the AMAU, the assessment of patients in the medical services began on average 3 days earlier.