Orientation to employment in the public health department
- National Occupational Therapy Forum for Public Health
- Provincial representatives per province
- New Energy
- Bridge the gap
- Improve access to services
- You advocate for services
- You bring awareness
- You bring hope
Department of health offers you
New Experience
- First formal paid job
Exciting Opportunities
- Community
- Join a MDT
- Contribute to your professional body – OTASA
- Introduce OT to the facility or make it better
- Contribute and participate in CPD
Foundational Blocks
- Enhance your own learning
- Develop work habits
- Determine the type of OT you want to start being
- Determine type of service you want to provide
Batho Pele Principles of Good Health Care
- Consultation
- Service Standards
- Access
- Courtesy
- Information
- Openness & Transparency
- Redress
- Value for Money
Patients Rights Charter
- Healthy & safe environment
- Participation in decision-making
- Access to healthcare
- Knowledge of one's health
- Insurance / Medical Aid Scheme
- Choice of health care provider
- Confidentiality & privacy
- Refusal of treatment
- A second opinion
- Continuity of care
- Complaints about health services
- Treated by a named healthcare provider
- Informed consent
Possible Placements
Primary Health Care Clinics
- Nearest to the patient
- Generally no OT department
- Time share spaces
- Utilise community areas / open areas
- Taking services to the patient
- Make a plan
Community Health Care Clinics
- Larger clinics
- Day beds
- Multiple primary health services
- May have a rehab section
- Within communities
- Offer a variety of basic services
- May have to advocate for OT services
District Hospitals
- Small and large hospitals
- Offer basic care
- Beds 50- 400 beds or more
- General medical professionals
- Rehab services present – not all professionals
- Smaller health community
- Outreach to clinics and communities
- Empowerment programmes for community
Regional Hospitals
- More specialised hospitals
- Provide a percentage of district /regional
- Some specialists available
- Rehabilitation departments available
- 200- 1200 beds
- Length of stay is decreased
- Referrals received from district hospitals
- Patients often have to travel far distances for services to these facilities
Tertiary / Central Hospitals
- Often have an academic teaching service
- Offer various specialities
- Patients are sicker
- Specialised care and services
- Larger hospitals 500 – 1500 beds
- Little to no clinic work/ PHC services
- Outreach includes teaching and training
- Patients travel a long distance to access care
- Established rehabilitation services
- Often located in urban areas
- Work on referrals
Types of Hospitals
- Psychiatry
- TB
- Chronic Conditions
- Paediatric Hospitals
- Acute Physical Disorders
- Rehab Hospitals
- General
LOCATION: Rural semi rural or an urban placement
Occupational Therapy Services in Public Health
- At all levels of care
- Individual and group care
- Therapy services ( promotive, rehab, remedial, palliative)
- Teaching and training of students
- Professional development for OTs
- Support groups
- Care giver training
- Home visits
- Assistive devices
- Environmental adaptations
- Case Managers medicolegal work
- Medicolegal work ( RAF, insurance, etc)
- Administrative roles ( Office based)
- Employee Assistant Programmes
Staffing
- All provinces have occupational therapists
- Not all facilities have occupational therapists
- Some facilities have OTT but no occupational therapists
- Some facilities have a good compliment of staff
- Considered a scarce skill
- Some facilities are run purely by the services of community service therapists
- Urban facilities have better staffing than rural facilities
Facilities and Infrastructure
- Established OT departments
- Shared rooms with the MDT / time share of rooms
- Allocated space within or outside the facility
- Allocation of work at various clinics with various room allocations
- Home visits or outdoor venues
- Ward work or use of a designated ward space
Supervision and Mentorship
- Performance evaluation
-
Usually provided by:
- On site occupational therapist
- On site MDT member : Physio, speech, audio, other
- District therapist/ occupational therapist
- Provincial resources
- Provincial OT forum
- OTASA
Administration
- Statistics
- Note taking
- Report writing
- Referrals, discharge summaries
- Filing
- Hand over
- Quality assurance
- Managing a department
- Ordering of consumables
- Participating in audits/ other health initiatives
Professionalism
-
Practices: Within scope of practice
Ability to work with diligence
Fully execute your job functions
Appearance and dress -
Conduct: The manner in which you serve the people you work with
Includes how you speak, respect and interact with others
what you post on social media
Abide by the public code of conduct - Values: Should be in line with the public service charter, Batho Pele and Patients rights
- Behaviour: Demonstrate ethical and professional mannerisms
Treating those you work with dignity, respect and courteous behaviour.
How you behave even after work hours
Code of conduct : ( Constitution of SA ch 10)
- Maintain and promote high standard of ethics
- Promote efficient and economic use of resources
- Orientated towards development
- Deliver services fairly and without bias
- Respond to peoples needs
- Account for your actions
- Be transparent
- Cultivate good human resource management
Challenges in the Public Sector
- Budgets
- Facilities
- Occupational therapy services
- Consumables
- Equipment and Infrastructure
- Mentorship and Supervision
Contact Details
Riana Best
012 529 3509
Gauteng
Jeanny Makhafola
082 775 5615
Limpopo
Ayesha Paulsen
082 775 6282
Northern Cape
Moleboge Kgarodi
073 997 8128
North West
Free State
083 324 6481
Free State
Rogini Pillay
083 581 4539
Western Cape
Angela Chetty
033 897 3781
or
083 789 3200
Kwa-Zulu Natal
Nolubeko Xuma Soyizwapi
066 303 9219
Eastern Cape
Allison Collinson
083 381 4146
Mpumalanga
Referneces
Professionalism in Public Sector
Professionalism in Public Sector:
This gazette is free online
at www.gpwonline.co.za
STAATSKOERANT, 24 DESEMBER 2020
No. 44031 45
- Various images online
- Patients Rights Charter
- Batho Pele Principles
Choose to be a rainbow within the public sector. Leave a little sparkle wherever you step. Make a difference
