The importance of the occupational therapist in light of recent CTP changes

At Prudence OT, we value the importance of the personal injury specialist in providing a medico-legal report that is up to date and aligned with industry changes.

As mentioned in our previous article, CTP changes have been implemented in an attempt to ensure that those injured in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) are compensated appropriately in accordance with their injury (e.g., attaining domestic assistance, income protection etc).

Our occupational therapists, who each have at least ten years’ experience, have been trained extensively to understand what these CTP changes mean in providing assessments.

In light of these CTP changes, it is of paramount importance in a medico-legal assessment, to ensure that occupational therapists understand the term ‘medical matters’. This essentially requires the occupational therapist to be able to objectively determine the impact of the injury on a person’s level of occupational engagement and provide a report that accurately reflects the injury to ensure that appropriate compensation is being advocated for. For Prudence OT, providing medico-legal reports in this manner is vital.

This includes providing recommendations regarding:

1. Determining the degree of impairment that has resulted from the accident and how this affects the client’s ability to complete/engage in daily tasks.
2. Whether treatment or care is reasonable and necessary in relation to the injury caused by the MVA. This includes making comment on future needs for example: care requirements (e.g., whether they require domestic assistance) or whether the client requires any specialised equipment or modifications to an existing home environment or vehicle.
3. Assessing whether treatment or care is required after 26 weeks will aid in recovery.
4. Determining the extent of the injury (e.g., whether the injury is deemed a Minor Injury or a more serious injury) according to guidelines in the Motor Accident Injuries Regulation 2017.

Prudence OT firmly believes that by providing timely and trusted medico-legal reports with a fifteen-day turnaround this will help ensure that those injured in a MVA are being referred on to treatment as soon as possible to ensure that early intervention and tailored support is offered, which is of prime importance in the new CTP changes.