Oscar's Story

Oscar was born at 29 weeks and followed the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Early Intervention Clinical Pathway. This pathway follows up ‘at risk’ premature babies leaving a Special Care Baby Unit. The story documents the experience of Oscar’s mother Natalia and her baby.

This story highlights how the use of a ‘family centred care’ approach which included working in the home setting alongside other family members helped to bring about positive outcomes.

Oscar was seen for initial assessment by a qualified Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist as directed by the evidence based clinical pathway. He was observed to be doing well generally, however, his movements and postures were of some concern and he required monitoring in the early days. Oscar was reviewed again at three months and it was decided that he would now benefit from specific intervention to promote normal development and to empower Natalia to have more confidence with positioning and handling. Oscar was seen weekly by the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) in the home setting.

Natalia was initially quite hesitant about services and what they could offer her. She felt that as an experienced parent she should be able to manage this situation alone but has reported that her feelings changed significantly over time as she worked with the service and specifically with the OTA. The outcomes of the intervention reported by Natalia include feeling that her own physical and mental wellbeing had significantly improved and that her little boy started to thrive and develop normally.

Natalia felt having home visits were really helpful. Being in a safe and familiar environment helped her to feel at ease and better able to build a relationship with the therapy assistant and work collaboratively. The therapy assistant worked with Natalia to enable achievement and progress in all aspects of Oscar’s development.

Natalia described the therapy assistant as ‘outstanding’ and ‘magical’ and the therapy team as ‘amazing’. She was keen to specifically state that she would not hesitate in recommending the service to others in a similar situation.