Marie began her career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant at UHCW in 2004, where she worked alongside occupational therapists, gaining experience in medicine, surgery, and oncology. She enjoyed this role so much that she decided to pursue further training at Coventry University in 2007, earning a BSc Honours degree in Occupational Therapy. While completing her studies, she enrolled with a healthcare agency and gained experience as a carer in people’s homes.
Marie completed her qualifications in 2010; however, due to a shortage of job vacancies, she temporarily worked as a carer in the Community Emergency Response Team. She then transitioned to a role in the hub, where she triaged referrals and directed them to the appropriate teams in South Warwickshire.
In 2012, she began her first Band 5 position with Birmingham Community Healthcare, where she gained experience running groups for Parkinson’s patients and falls prevention. She later rotated into Urgent Care, focusing on admission prevention and facilitating safe hospital discharges. Marie was also involved in developing and facilitating a virtual bed service for elderly people living with complex conditions in their homes, collaborating with an interdisciplinary team.
In March 2016, Marie advanced to a Band 6 role in the Community, where she assisted in developing a new service within the Integrated Neighbourhood Team. In this position, she managed a caseload of patients with complex conditions, concentrating on preventing hospital readmissions.
Her next role was in the Out of Hospital (OOH) therapy services, where she worked on planned reablement therapy and urgent care, aiming to prevent hospital admissions and ensure safe, seamless hospital discharges.
Most recently, prior to joining us at the PCN, Marie worked as part of a large Community Neuro Rehabilitation interdisciplinary team, helping patients aged 18 and over with complex needs, such as those who had suffered a stroke or brain injury. She visited patients at home, working towards meaningful goals tailored to each individual.
This new role within the primary care setting presents a fresh experience for Marie. She will be focusing on embedding and developing the occupational therapy role across three GP practices and collaborating closely with the PCN. Marie is passionate about her work and is eager to introduce new services that will promote patients’ health and well-being by partnering with the PCN on innovative projects.