There is currently a chronic shortage of directly employed occupational therapists in the council which has contributed to a large backlog of outstanding statutory assessments.

In order to address some of the capacity issues, a new approach and structure has been approved to continue to meet our statutory requirements whilst improving the efficiency of the service. This will be implemented from early next financial year.

The backlog of reviews needs to be completed before the new pathway begins in order to ensure a smooth transition period whilst not impacting on delivery.