Specialisms
- Visual impairment or loss in adults.
- Hearing impairment or loss.
- Complex cases for older people including dementia and stroke.
- Associated orthopaedic and surgical conditions.
- Associated congenital, acquired and progressive neurological disorders.
- Associated cognitive impairment.
- Associated pain.
Clinical Currency Statement
As at November 2024, I am engaged in the role of Service Manager for South Gloucestershire Council for an average of 148 hours per month. I also work as Independent Occupational Therapist for an average of 4 hours per month.
Signed
Specific Injuries Experience
As Adult Social Care Service Manager for Social Services, Rosemary works with a vast range of people of all ages with varying conditions including medical, surgical, orthopaedic, neurological, age-related and ophthalmological. Her work is predominantly with adults from age 18 up but she has close links to the 0-25 years team in her current workplace and has provided clinical supervision to the Senior OT in the team. Rosemary works closely with Community Health colleagues to support rehabilitation and provide for the person’s longer-term needs.
Rosemary commonly deals with the care, support, equipment and housing needs of people with visual impairment, based on expertise developed during her years working at Bristol Eye Hospital. Each person with visual impairment has a unique experience of their sight loss and Rosemary’s understanding and experience in the field allows her to analyse the person’s needs and address their functional limitations. She continues to work with visually impaired people in her Social Services role and in independent practice.
Rosemary supports the work of the Deaf, Deafened and Hard of Hearing services in the Local Authority in which she works. She is responsible for the delivery of equipment in the homes of people with hearing loss to promote independence and safety.
Rosemary’s experience spans across a number of other specialist areas. She brings past specific experience working on a stroke unit, in different acute NHS hospitals and on a general hospital ward for people with dementia to her work in Social Services.
Employment Profile
Rosemary has worked as an independent Expert Witness since 2003, during which time she has completed over 200 claimant, defence and joint reports for the Court and has participated in many case conferences, meeting of experts, and given evidence in Court. She has virtually attended the Court of Protection and the High Court for the purposes of her local authority work.
Rosemary has significant and ongoing experience of recommending and reviewing care packages in her Social Services work. She has previously directly commissioned and reviewed care packages as a Case Manager and has worked closely with Case Manager colleagues to advise on the support, rehabilitation, equipment and housing needs required for individuals with a wide range of injuries and conditions, including those who are visually impaired.
Since qualifying as an Occupational Therapist in 1985, Rosemary has worked in a range of clinical areas. In her current role as Service Manager in a Local Authority, she carries a complex caseload and manages teams of social workers and occupational therapists in Acute Health, Community Health and Community settings.
Rosemary has extensive specialist experience of working with people with visual impairment, having worked with people with visual impairment since 1990. She worked at the Bristol Eye Hospital for over 10 years. She has also managed a nationally recognised stroke unit at North Bristol NHS Trust. Prior to that Rosemary provided Occupational Therapy on a general medical ward for people with dementia, working with patients in hospital and facilitating their discharge into the community.
Throughout her career she has been involved in completing functional assessments, formulating treatment and rehabilitation programmes and assessing their progress, assessing care requirements ranging from specific, targeted care to 24-hour care and assessing home environments and adaptations.
As a Service Manager Rosemary is confident when making decisions. She is a skilled negotiator who can consider different views while defending her own position. She is self-confident and assertive.
Rosemary is committed to remaining up-to-date in her clinical area, as demonstrated by completing her MSc (OT) in 1996 while working full-time. She has also completed a post graduate diploma in Applied Ageing Studies in 2004. She participates in Continuing Professional Development to ensure that she is up to date in her professional and practice areas. Rosemary has had to be self-disciplined in managing her time and had to cope under pressure of workload and conflicting commitments. She is also skilled in writing objectively, using evidence to support her arguments.
Qualifications and Membership
- BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy.
- British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT).
- MSc Occupational Therapy.
- Member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Ageing Studies.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Practice with Adults in Risk
Career History
Present
Care Expert Witness
Jacqueline Webb & Co Limited
2020-Present
Principal Occupational Therapist
Social Services
2015-Present
Adult Social Care Service Manager
Social Services and Integrated Discharge Service (Acute Hospital)
2008-2015
Occupational Therapy Team Manager
Integrated Social Services and NHS
2005-2008
Locality Lead Occupational Therapist
Integrated Social Services and NHS
2002-2005
Head III Occupational Therapist
North Bristol NHS Trust
1990-2002
Senior 1 Occupational Therapist
United Bristol Health Care Trust
1988-1989
Senior 1/Deputy Head
Withington Hospital, Manchester
1986-1987
Private Practice
Gweru, Zimbabwe
1986
Special Needs Teacher
Northside International School, Gaborone, Botswana
1983-1985
Basic Grade – Senior 1 Occupational Therapist
Hillbrow Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
Publications
- Chapter on Chronic Pain Management in Keable D, The Management of Anxiety (1997).
- Collaboration with the Royal National Institute for the Blind/Thomas Pocklington Trust to establish a postgraduate module on visual impairment for occupational therapists.
Lecturing
- The impact of visual impairment at St Loye’s School of Occupational Therapy and the University of the West of England.
Boards and Panels
- Multiagency Safeguarding Adults Board.
- Safeguarding Adults Quality Audit Group.
- Safeguarding Adults Case Review Group.
- Care Package Approval and Resource Panel.
- Continuing Health Care Appeal Panel.
- NHS England Independent Review Panel for Continuing Health Care Appeals