We are all on the same team: overcoming communication challenges between Occupational Therapists and nursing staff in nursing homes
Specialist seating and bed positioning are critical interventions for maintaining resident comfort, preventing pressure injuries, optimising posture, and promoting participation in daily activities. Due to the amount of staff working in a nursing home, it is common to encounter challenges in ensuring these recommendations are consistently implemented following clinical handover to nursing staff. Factors such as staff turnover, competing clinical priorities, limited understanding of positioning principles, and ineffective communication from both sides can result in inconsistent practice and reduced therapeutic outcomes.
This webinar will explore the barriers to successful implementation of specialist seating and bed positioning recommendations, identify strategies for effective interdisciplinary communication, and discuss practical approaches to embedding these interventions into routine nursing care to improve resident safety and quality of life.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Recognise the communication and organisational barriers that can impact effective communication between therapists and nursing staff.
- Implement evidence-informed handover and interdisciplinary communication strategies that support nursing staff to consistently apply specialist seating and bed positioning recommendations, improving resident comfort, safety, and clinical outcomes.
Meet our Experts:
Nicky Phillips
Nicky is a dedicated Occupational Therapist with over 16 years of experience, specialising in disability, posture, and seating. She has worked in both in patient and community settings, and most recently served as a seating therapist within the HSE.
Shane Scanlan
Shane Scanlan is CEO of The Alliance - Supporting Nursing Homes, a trade association representing nursing home providers across Ireland. In this role, he works closely with care providers, clinical leaders, regulators and government to shape policy, regulation and funding decisions that directly affect long-term residential care.Shane brings over 10 years’ experience as a Director of Nursing in the nursing home sector. His work is firmly rooted in day-to-day clinical leadership and service delivery, and he understands first hand the pressures facing nursing homes, nursing staff and residents.Working at the junction of clinical practice, regulation and government engagement, Shane is a strong advocate for proper representation of nursing homes at national level. He consistently makes the case that care and welfare regulations must reflect clinical reality, operational pressures and financial sustainability if they are to work on the ground and genuinely support safe, high quality care.His experience includes ongoing engagement with government, regulators, the department of health and other sector stakeholders, promoting policy and regulatory approaches that are clear, consistent and workable in practice, not just well intended on paper.