The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department is made up of registered Occupational Therapists, regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), alongside a large team of skilled, non-registered therapy assistants.
OT staff work collaboratively within the wider multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapists, nurses, doctors, the complex discharge team, other therapy services, and specialist nursing teams, to support patients in achieving their functional goals.
We are proud to have a large and highly specialised workforce, delivering a wide range of assessments and interventions. Most of our team is based within inpatient services, with additional specialist staff working in outpatient settings, including the Upper Limb team and Burns & Plastics services.
How can I see an Occupational Therapist?
If you are a patient on a ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), you can be referred to Occupational Therapy by a member of the health care team if they feel it is necessary.
If you are an out-patient, or not under a consultant at UHB, then please speak to your GP about being referred to a community occupational therapist within your area.
If you are under a Consultant within the Upper Limb team or Burns & Plastics, they can refer you to therapies directly.
What do Occupational Therapists do?
An occupational therapist helps people of all ages overcome challenges completing everyday tasks or activities, what we call occupations.
An occupation is any activity that we need, want or like to do to live and look after our physical and mental health, and our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. An occupation can be self-care such as washing, eating, sleeping, or productive, such as work, caring or domestic activities, or leisure such as playing sports, hobbies or socialising.
Occupations are particularly important when we’re going through times of change. When we can’t do an occupation anymore or we need to adjust the way we do it, because of ill health or other barriers, our sense of self and purpose may change. This is where occupational therapy comes in (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, 2026).
Working with patients, and their families and friends, we gain a better insight into the individual’s usual level of function. We can then start to assess how possible it is to get them back to that level of function, and plan for an appropriate discharge home, or, when needed, work with them to get the best outcome following a change in their abilities and condition. We will use our specialist skills to assess seating, posture and pressure relief, wheelchairs, splinting, and cognition to assist patients in their recovery.
Occupational Therapy Department contact details
Therapy Clinical Site Co-Ordinator
The Therapy Clinical Site Coordinator works closely with therapy teams to support safe, effective, and timely discharge planning. This includes ensuring that patients are placed on the most appropriate discharge pathways and that teams have a clear understanding of the options available.
The role involves working collaboratively with therapists and therapy leads to identify recurring themes or challenges that may impact discharges and implementing strategies to mitigate risks and improve patient flow. Support is provided across all therapy professions.
In addition, the Therapy Clinical Site Coordinator works in partnership with the QEHB site team and the Complex Discharge Team to escalate and resolve barriers to discharge, contributing to timely problem-solving and decision-making.
A key aspect of the role is building strong collaborative relationships with community partners and external services, promoting shared understanding, exchanging expertise, and helping to remove barriers to safe and efficient discharge.
Therapy Clinical Site Co-Ordinator contact details
Vacancies
View all current Occupational Therapy vacancies at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on the UHB Jobs website:
Equipment Returns
If you have been loaned a piece of equipment by an Occupational Therapist, once you no longer require this, it should be returned.
Details of where the equipment has come from and who to contact should be on a label on the equipment itself. However, it is likely that you if you live in the Birmingham locality that your equipment is provided from Birmingham Medequip who can be contacted on 0121 503 8850, or email to birmingham@medequip-uk.com arrange a return.
For Solihull residents
For Dudley residents
For Sandwell residents
Wheelchairs
QEHB only provides limited short-term loan wheelchairs for indoor use.
See links below for other Birmingham and Solihull options.
Last reviewed: 29 September 2026