In the SSNAP clinical audit a rehabilitation assistant is defined as a non registered member of the team who delivers rehabilitation, they can also be a student, for example a physiotherapy student.
We only record their minutes if they have delivered a session that is independent of the qualified therapist. If the qualified therapist and rehab assistant deliver a session together the minutes are counted under the qualified therapists minutes.
FAQs
Will this change how we answer question 4.6 (total number of therapy minutes)?
This will not change and 4.6 should be answered in the same way as it is currently. We are then asking teams to record the number of these total minutes (recorded in 4.6) specifically given by rehabilitation assistants in a new question.
In Q4.6 we ask teams to record the total number of therapy minutes per discipline.
This includes: Therapy provided by qualified or non-registered therapy assistants, including rehabilitation assistants, under supervision* is included in the measure. For speech and language therapy it includes dysphagia and communication therapy. For psychologists it includes activities including assessment and treatment of mood, higher cognitive function and non-cognitive behavioural problems.
*Supervised therapy is therapy that has been directed and agreed by the qualified therapist. The qualified therapist does not need to be present for the therapy.
For therapy FAQs please see: Therapy FAQs
Should the total therapy minutes provided by Rehabilitation Assistants include time when they are working alongside a Therapist? Most of our assistants provide therapy sessions alongside therapists. How would we break this down into individual minutes for the purpose of recording?
Where a session has required two members of staff (one qualified and one assistant), please assume the session has been led by the qualified therapist, record all minutes as qualified and do not record any minutes as assistant provided. (i.e. do not split minutes).
Should the number of teletherapy minutes added to the therapist and assistant minutes equal to the total therapy minutes or is it a standalone figure?
The total number of minutes should be recorded in 4.6. This should include face-to-face and teletherapy, as well as therapy by qualified therapists and non-registered therapy assistants. In 4.6.1, teams should record how many of the total minutes in 4.6 were delivered by a rehabilitation assistant. In 4.6.2, teams should record how many of the total minutes in 4.6 were delivered by teletherapy.
Do therapy TIs count as rehabilitation assistants or therapists?
This should include all non-registered rehabilitation or therapy assistants.
Can a therapy assistant perform an initial assessment and make the decision that the patient has no relevant deficit?
Yes - therapy assistants can make this decision
Why are the rehab assistant minutes divided up by therapy professions when many work across the therapy disciplines in an integrated manner? Will the rehabilitation assistant minutes need to be inputted for each of the therapies and nursing?
SSNAP has always asked teams (both inpatient and non-inpatient) to record rehabilitation assistant minutes per discipline, including this in the total minutes and days for therapy in Section 4.
- If two therapists of the same profession treat a patient at the same time, record the number of therapy minutes provided as the duration of the session e.g. 2 physiotherapists treating a patient for 45 minutes counts as 45 minutes of physiotherapy
- If two therapists of different professions treat a patient at the same time, record the total number of minutes for each therapy e.g. a physiotherapist and occupational therapist treating a patient for 45 minutes counts as 45 minutes of physiotherapy and 45 minutes of occupational therapy
- If one therapy assistant works on two different therapies during a 45 minutes session, record 45 minutes for only one profession or the times can be split (e.g. 25 minutes for one, 20 minutes for the other)