Cash machines are available at many hospital locations, including:
- Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow
- Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow
- Gartnavel General Hospital
- Glasgow Royal Infirmary
- Stobhill Hospital.
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Services A to Z
Clinical Biochemistry is the division of Laboratory Medicine that deals with the measurement of chemicals in blood, urine and other body fluids. These test results are used for the diagnosis and management of the disease. The Clinical Biochemistry services provide advice to Clinicians on the appropriate use of tests, interpretation of results and follow up investigations that may be required.
Scottish Trace Element & Micronutrient Diagnostic & Research Laboratory
The Scottish Trace Element and Micronutrient Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (STEMDRL) is in part centrally funded by the National Services Division of NHS Scotland to provide a specialist analytical and advisory service for trace elements and vitamins.
More Information
Which services are available at the Brownlee Travel Clinic?
Pre-travel clinic
- The Clinic offers specialist consultant-led pre-travel advice to travellers who may be at greatest risk of travel-associated infections or other health hazards
- Most travellers will be seen at the nurse-led NHS Travel Health Service where you will receive a thorough Travel Health Risk Assessment and one or more of the free NHS travel vaccinations (if indicated)
- Travellers may be referred for a subsequent appointment at the Brownlee if undertaking a particularly complex travel itinerary. Examples include: travelling across multiple international borders in tropical areas, travelling in high risk areas for 6 months or more, and travelling for volunteering or humanitarian work
- Travellers who are immunosuppressed, or pre-immunosuppression, will be offered an appointment directly at the Brownlee
- The Brownlee may offer you additional vaccinations or medications, such as anti-malarial tablets, which will incur a charge. This will be discussed at your appointment.
Post-travel clinic
- The Brownlee also operates a clinic for unwell returning travellers. Appointments are offered following a referral from a hospital doctor or your GP. No self-referrals will be accepted
- Returning travellers who are acutely unwell should contact their GP, NHS 24 on 111 or A&E.
Which services are not available at the Brownlee Travel Clinic?
- The Brownlee Travel Clinic does not provide telephone advice to members of the public. Travel health advice for the public is available via www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
- The Brownlee Travel Clinic does not provide telephone advice to health professionals. Travel health professionals should seek advice from Public Health Scotland’s Travel and International Health team via www.travax.nhs.uk.
How can I make an appointment at the Brownlee Travel Clinic?
- Travellers seeking an appointment at any of our NHS Travel Health Services should call 0800 917 6115 or email Ggc.VaccinationContactCentre@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.
- Travellers who are immunosuppressed, or pre-immunosuppression, can be referred to the Brownlee Centre Travel clinic by their GP or the Specialist team looking after them.
Where is the Brownlee Travel Clinic?
- The clinic is situated in the Brownlee Outpatients Department, Lower Ground, Brownlee Centre, Gartnavel General Hospital, 1053 Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN
- It is open on Wednesday, 9.30am to 12.30pm and can only accept patients who live in the Great Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area.
Support and Information Centres
Support and Information Centres are non-clinical spaces within hospitals. Staff in these Centres can provide information and support on a wide range of health and lifestyle issues, including:
- Information on health conditions
- Caring for relatives and friends
- Benefits and money advice
- Information on lifestyle factors such as stopping smoking, exercise and weight management
- Information on issues such as health rights and NHS complaints
- Details of other local services that may be able to assist you.
- Complaints and concerns about the NHS
- Support groups and services
Who can use the centres?
The centres are open to everyone, including patients, carers, family members, staff and members of the public.
The centres are drop-in, appointments are not necessary.
Where are the centres located?
Family Support and Information Service – located within the NHSGGC Royal Hospital for Children
Support and Information Service – located within most NHSGGC adult acute hospitals
Beatson Information and Support Service – located within the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Care Centre
In some of our hospitals, we have a new patient check-in system for outpatients. This system uses a simple touch screen computer. If you have any concerns or trouble using the new system you can ask one of the guides for help or go directly to the clinic reception desk.
Before your appointment
Appointment changes
To cancel or change your appointment please telephone the number on your appointment letter. This may allow us to give your appointment time to another patient. Please do not attend if you think you could have COVID-19, flu or diarrhoea and vomiting.
If you fail to attend without telling the clinic in advance, we may return you back to the care of your GP. This is in line with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Did Not Attend and Cancellation Policy.
Appointment reminder call
The hospital uses an automated voice system to remind you about your appointment. This system asks if you will be attending your appointment. If not, we will give your appointment to another patient.
If you do not wish to receive the reminder call, please contact us at the telephone number or email address included in your letter.
Help with specific needs
If you need help with any of the following please telephone the number on your appointment letter, before your appointment:
- Sight, hearing or require an interpreter
- Mobility, specialised equipment or any other need.
Attending an outpatient clinic
Outpatient check-in system
In some of our hospitals, we have a new patient check-in system for outpatients. This system uses a simple touch screen computer.
If you have any concerns or trouble using the new system you can ask one of the guides for help or go directly to the clinic reception desk.
Where the new system has not been installed, please go directly to the clinic reception desk to check-in.
When you arrive at the clinic
Please hand your appointment letter to the receptionist, who will direct you to the waiting area.
If clinics are running late we will tell you and give you an update.
What to bring with you
- Your appointment letter
- A note of all medicines you currently take including any vitamins, herbal, homeopathic or alternative remedies
- Repeat prescription list (if any)
- Any questions you may have for the doctor (You may want to write these down before you visit).
What to expect
- Multiple clinics may run at the same time and may have different timings. This doesn’t mean you are taken out of turn
- The length of an appointment can vary so please make sure you have time to wait in case of delays. At your appointment you may have tests carried out. If surgery is part of your treatment plan, your appointment may include a pre-operative assessment (a health check for your surgery) on the same day
- You will see a consultant, a member of their team or a nurse. You may have a friend or relative present when you see them
- If you need further appointments, we will discuss this with you
- As soon as test results are known, we will contact your GP. Please check with your GP practice that they have your results before making an appointment
- Some tests or scans are sent to your hospital consultant not your GP. We will tell you this at the time of your test or scan
- You have a right to a second opinion. If you feel this is necessary please ask the consultant in charge of your care
- If you wish, you can access your health records. A senior member of staff will be able to advise you how to do this.
Help with specific needs
If you need help with any of the following please telephone the number on your appointment letter, before you visit:
- Sight, hearing or require an interpreter
- Mobility, specialised equipment or any other need.
No smoking
The hospital operates a Smokefree Policy. This means no smoking in any NHS building, entrance, doorway, grounds or car park. This also includes the use of electronic cigarettes or the use of vaporisers.
Courtesy to staff
At your appointment, you can expect staff to treat you with dignity and respect. Equally, we expect our staff to be treated the same. Abusive or violent behaviour will not be tolerated and we will consider prosecuting any person whose behaviour is unacceptable.
Student teaching
An important part of our work in hospital is the teaching and training of students in medical, nursing and other professions.
You have a right to decide whether or not you wish to take part in student teaching or medical research. We will ask you about this before your consultation.
Outpatient facilities
Quiet Room
Most hospitals have a quiet room or sanctuary available places of peace, meditation and prayer. Everyone is welcome to use them.
Health information leaflets
Leaflets are available within the hospital on treatments, specific conditions and on health improvement. Please ask your nurse.
Café facilities
Please ask staff to direct you to the nearest Café or find more information here:
ATM (cash machines)
They are available on many of our sites.
Further information on attending an outpatient clinic
Find out what to do before your appointment and what to expect when you attend a clinic:
The leaflet is also available in other languages
- Arabic معلومات للمرضى الخارجيين
- Mandarin, Chinese 门诊患者信息
- Punjabi ਬਾਹਰੀ ਮਰੀਜ਼ਾਂ ਲਈ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ
- Polish Informacja dla pacjentów ambulatoryjnych
- Urdu معلومات برائے بیرونی مریض
The Young Onset Dementia (YOD) Service is made up of two clinical psychologists, an occupational therapist (OT), a community psychiatric nurse (CPN), and secretarial support.
The team offer support to patients who have been diagnosed with dementia, and also work with and offer support to family members and carers. They provide a full post-diagnosis service to maximise the quality of life for patients, family members and carers.
About Young Onset Dementia
Dementia is an illness that affects the brain and a person’s ability to manage everyday activities. It can affect all aspects of thinking and feeling, and can cause changes in behaviour.
It is most common in older people, but around 3,000 people in Scotland under the age of 65 will have dementia, including people in their 40s and 50s, or even younger.
When this happens to someone under 65 it is usually called young onset or early onset dementia.
People with learning disabilities such as Down’s syndrome can also develop dementia. They are more likely to develop dementia in their 40s and 50s than the general population.
Dementia in younger people is often not recognised and the needs of younger people with dementia can be very different from those of older people. Younger people and their families are more likely to:
- be in work, and therefore to need support to continue working or help when employment ends
- have financial commitments including supporting children or young adults
- need emotional support to cope with the diagnosis
- have difficulties obtaining an accurate diagnosis
- have one of the rarer forms of dementia
About dementia
There are many kinds of dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia.
Younger people can have these forms of dementia but are also more likely to have rarer kinds. Dementia can also be present in other conditions such as motor neurone disease (MND), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
What are the symptoms of dementia?
Each person with dementia will experience it differently. The symptoms depend on which areas of the brain are affected.
Some of the most common symptoms include memory difficulties and confusion about time and place.
The ability to think, reason, and make judgements can also be affected. Handling money and calculating may also become more difficult.
Conditions such as frontotemporal dementia cause early changes in personality and behaviour, although the person’s memory may not be badly affected.
What causes dementia?
We do not know exactly what causes dementia. Some forms of dementia, such as Huntington’s disease, are inherited. Younger people are more likely to have inherited forms of dementia but these are rare.
Most forms of dementia will be caused by a combination of genes and environment but the exact cause in any individual is very difficult to identify.
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease damages individual brain cells, so that the brain can’t work as well as it used to.
A protein called amyloid builds up in deposits, called plaques, and tiny filaments in the brain cell form tangles. With Alzheimer’s disease there is usually a slow, steady progression of the illness.
Faulty genes may cause the build-up of the amyloid protein. Recent research seems to show that there may also be a genetic factor in other cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, this does not mean that someone whose parent had Alzheimer’s will automatically develop the disease.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
This form of dementia is thought to be the second most common form of dementia in younger people.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a complex condition and difficult to diagnose. It is sometimes called ‘Pick’s disease’ although this name is used less often today.
It is not fully understood how this type of dementia develops. There seems to be an abnormal growth of some types of proteins in the brain cells affecting those parts of the brain responsible for decision making, emotion, language and control of behaviour.
In around 30% –50% of cases there may be a family history of this illness.
Vascular dementia
A problem with the blood supply to the brain can cause some people to have strokes which damage areas in the brain and can cause dementia.
Vascular dementia progresses in ‘steps’ and it is difficult to predict how it will develop. CADASIL is a rare inherited form of vascular dementia that affects younger people.
Information and support for younger people with dementia and their carers
Any person who is newly diagnosed with dementia should receive support from a named individual such as a healthcare worker or worker from a voluntary sector organisation for at least one year.
Alzheimer Scotland and NHS Health Scotland have produced a booklet and DVD called “Younger people with dementia: Living well with your diagnosis”, designed to give useful information to younger people and their families.
People with dementia and their carers were involved in the making of the DVD and can be seen talking about their experiences and offering suggestions on how to live well with dementia. Areas covered include: keeping well and connected; health; money; and work.
- Copies of the DVD can be ordered through the NHSGGC Public Health Resource Directory.
- Film clips from the DVD are also available on the NHS Health Scotland You Tube channel.
Work
If you are still employed you might want to discuss your diagnosis with your employer.
Dementia counts as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, giving you legal protection at work.
You have more rights once you have told your employer about your diagnosis. By law your employer must:
- Make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to help you stay in work
- Assess what risks you face because of your health
- Put adequate measures in place to reduce risk
The booklet can be viewed and downloaded as a PDF file.
Services for younger people with dementia
In Glasgow there are specialist services for younger people with dementia and these include:
Glasgow Younger Persons Support Service (GYPSS)
Alzheimer Scotland Glasgow Younger Persons Support Service (GYPSS)
81 Oxford Street
Glasgow
G5 9EP
This service provides a range of supports including:
- Link Workers who will maintain regular contact with the person with dementia and their family and who can provide information and emotional support.
- A counsellor providing person centred counselling to the person with dementia and/or their carers.
- Group work – groups supporting people with dementia including time limited therapeutic groups, carers groups and carer education.
- A home support service offering one-to-one support for the person with dementia in his or her own home or in the community.
- Day services – a small group of people with dementia supported on a Tuesday and a Friday from the Oxford Street premises.
Young Onset Dementia Service (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)
It is recognised that younger people with dementia may have more complex needs than others and require additional support. Within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, younger people may be referred, by their Community Mental Health Team, to a specialist service (the Young Onset Dementia Service) which has been set up to provide additional input for patients under 65 years of age, and /or their family members or carers.
Advice and guidance on all aspects of dementia is available to anyone through Alzheimer Scotland’s 24 hour Freephone Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000, and from local Alzheimer Scotland services.
This information has been prepared to provide information for people with dementia, and for their carers.
Partners:
WestMARC, West of Scotland Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre, serves a population of approximately 2.6 million people and has in excess of 42,000 active wheelchair and prosthetics patients.
Contact Telephone: 0300 790 0129 (Monday to Friday 8.45am to 4.15pm)
Email: westmarc@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
WestMARC Outpatient Appointment Information Leaflet
Reception area offers T.V. and free Wi-Fi.
Clinical Services
The Wheelchair and Seating Service
The service provides wheelchairs (manual and powered) and children’s buggies, with postural supports if required, to people requiring wheeled mobility that are living in the West of Scotland. Services provided include:
- Clinical assessments
- Provision of equipment (wheelchairs, buggies, seating systems) tailored to patient’s needs
- Equipment repairs
Our team consists of administrative staff, technical staff, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, clinical scientists (bioengineers), nursing/medical staff and clinical psychology staff.
Contact Details
The service can be contacted via telephone 0300 790 0129 Monday to Friday 8:45am to 4:15pm, excluding NHS public holidays.
Service is also contactable via email: westmarc@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
The Prosthetics Service
The Prosthetics Service measures for, manufactures and fits artificial limbs for adults and children with amputation or limb absence. Clinics are conducted at Westmarc and at our satellite clinic at Ayr Hospital to provide new limbs and carry out maintenance and repairs for existing limb users.
We have an onsite workshop where our technical team manufacture and repair new and existing artificial limbs. This service works with Strathclyde University to provide placements for students. There are also close links to Finding Your Feet, a charity who support families affected by amputation or limb absence.
- Telephone: 0300 790 0129
- Email: westmarc@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
- Prosthetic Referral Form
Prosthetic Information
The Prosthetics service provides upper and lower limb care to approximately 52% of Scotland’s population. Our clinics deliver life long prosthetic care for individuals with amputation and/or congenital absence of a limb. This may include patients with multiple level limb absence and/or complex clinical requirements.
There is an on-site workshop where our technical team manufacture and repairs new and existing limbs. We provide medical clinics and a multidisciplinary clinic where new patients and referrals, approximately 300 per year, are assessed.
The inpatients for this service are mainly based at The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital whilst outpatients, approximately 3,500, come mainly from Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Argyll, forth valley, Lanarkshire, Dumfries & Galloway and some other Scottish Health Boards.
Patient referrals are received by the service from:
- Primary patient referrals from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital or other hospitals.
- Self referrals from existing patients and or carers.
- Referrals from GPs, Consultants and other Health Care Professionals
WestMARC serves as one of the locations for the Specialist Prosthetics Service. It is responsible for the assessment, prescription and provision of state-of-the-art (SOTA) prostheses. A single multidisciplinary team based over two sites, WestMARC and the SMART centre at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh, deliver this national service for eligible limb users.
The Prosthetic Physiotherapy Service
We work very closely with the prosthetics service to provide specialist outpatient physiotherapy care for patients who have an amputation or limb loss. This includes exercise programmes, teaching patients how to put on and off their prosthetic limb, learning how to walk and do functional tasks such as the stairs.
- Team Lead: Joanne Hebenton
- Telephone number: 0300 790 0129
- E-mail: Westmarc.Physiotherapy@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
- Physiotherapy clinic update
- Prosthetic service referral
If you are referring a patient for a physiotherapy review only, please complete the Prosthetic service referral and write on the top *For Physio Only* and this highlights to our administration staff that the patient requires physiotherapy review prior to primary clinic.
If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the department for further advice.
Physiotherapy Information
The aim of our service is to provide a high quality, specialist outpatient physiotherapy service for new and established adult and paediatric patients who have had an amputation or limb loss.
The Team
- Joanne Hebenton – Team Lead Physiotherapist
- Nikki Porteous – Specialist physiotherapist
- Damien McGovern – Specialist Physiotherapist
- Grace Ferguson – Specialist Physiotherapist
- Lorraine Douglas – Support worker
- Rotational Physiotherapist
What We Do
We aim to make patients as independent as possible whilst taking a goal centred approach. Gym sessions are held Monday to Friday which facilitates patients to use their prosthetic limb and improve their walking or transfers. Patients can also be provided with a home exercise programme for their walking, strength and balance.
We also have close links with the 3rd sector and work closely with Finding your Feet which are a Scottish based charity supporting people after amputation or limb loss finding your feet and Scottish Disability Sport Scotland among others. The department is involved nationally, in promoting and developing expertise in prosthetic physiotherapy practice, education, research and audit.
Our custom built gym and courtyard facility is based within WestMARC. We share these facilities and work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team such as the Occupational Therapist, Prosthetists, Nurses, Clinical Psychologist and Bioengineers.
Other services we provide are:
- Information support groups
- Group exercise classes
- Running class
- Pre amputation consultations
- Gait laboratory assessments
- Multidisciplinary paediatric clinics
- Assessment for suitability for a prosthetic limb
- Osseointegration service
- Training and assessment for those referred to the Scottish Specialist Prosthetic Service which provides advanced prosthetic components via a national panel
- Paediatric and young adult activity days (Yearly)
Please read the BACPAR WestMARC Knee Guides
Instructional videos on transfers for new amputees
WestMARC Physiotherapy staff along with team at Finding You Feet some instructional videos on transfers for new amputees.
Bed to Upright
Wheelchair to bed with board
Bed to wheelchair with board
Wheelchair to bed with pillow
Bed to wheelchair with pillow
The Environmental Control Service
The Clinical Gait Analysis Service
This service supports patients with complex gait problems by integrating the assessment and planning of medical, therapy and orthotic interventions making use of a range of simple and complex gait analysis equipment.
Additional Information
Useful Contacts
Here are the main contact details for Services in WestMARC.
Address:
WestMARC
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
1345 Govan Road
Glasgow
G51 4TF
Contact Telephone: 0300 790 0129 (Monday to Friday 8.45am to 4.15pm)
Email: westmarc@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Wheelchair and Seating
Telephone: 0300 790 0129 (Monday to Friday 8.45 am to 4:15 pm)
WestMARC Yoker depot and the WestMARC Motherwell Hub are open for drop in repairs Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 3.45 pm.
Prosthetics
Telephone: 0300 790 0129 (Monday to Friday 8.45 am to 4:15 pm)
Physiotherapy
Team Lead Physiotherapist: Joanne Hebenton
Telephone number: 0300 790 0129
E-mail: westmarc.physiotherapy@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Service hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30am-4.30pm
Find Us
WestMARC at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Glasgow
WestMARC Wheelchair and Prosthetics Service
Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
1345 Govan Road,
Govan,
G51 4TF
WestMARC Yoker
WestMARC Yoker Depot,
Unit 20,
Halley Street,
New Albion Industrial Estate,
Yoker,
G13 4DJ
Drop in repairs available Monday to Friday 9am – 3:45pm.
WestMARC Motherwell
WestMARC Motherwell,
Unit 33 Fern Street
Motherwell
ML1 2AJ
Drop in repairs available Monday to Friday 9am – 3:45pm. The Motherwell hub is a smaller unit and we are unable to hold all parts, please call 0300 790 0129 in advance to confirm parts are in stock to complete the repair.
Travelling to Clinic
Care Opinion
Care Opinion is about honest and meaningful conversations between patients and health services. We believe that your story can help make WestMARC services better. If you as a patient yourself or as a carer experienced care from WestMARC we would value your feedback good or bad, we appreciate your honesty. Please follow the link Care Opinion or call 0800 122 3135.
If you’ve experienced WestMARC Services recently, either as a patient yourself or as a carer or friend of someone else, please tell us how it was. What was good? What could have been better?
Your story will be handled confidentially by the non-profit service Care Opinion. Your story may appear (without your name) on their website. Care Opinion will ask WestMARC to respond to the feedback you share, but does not reveal your identity.
This service is independent of WestMARC and the NHS. For more information about Care Opinion and how your story is handled, visit www.careopinion.org.uk.
Complaints
If you wish to raise your concerns about a service which WestMARC has provided, please contact us through the Call Centre on 0300 790 0129 so that a record can be made of the issues.
WestMARC aims to provide a high standard of service and therefore welcome the opportunity to discuss any areas of shortfall to resolve any issues before unnecessary distress is caused resulting in a formal complaint.
For more information about the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde complaints procedure, please visit our Complaints page.
What is Spiritual Care?
There is a part of us that can seek to discover meaning, purpose or hope in those aspects of our experience that matter most to us. This is often referred to as ‘spirituality’, informing our personal values and beliefs, and affirming that tears, laughter, pain and joy are all part of the human experience. Spiritual care is integral to the holistic person-centred care offered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The spiritual care team is an inclusive part of health and social care teams who work alongside us and in partnership with other healthcare professionals.
‘Spirituality is central to our health and well-being. Spiritual well-being encompasses the physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements that connect to our individual response and reaction to life events such as joy, sadness, health, illness, birth and death. Spiritual care recognises and responds to the needs of the human spirit, and begins with encouraging human contact in a compassionate relationship, and moves in whatever direction need requires.’ (Adapted from Spiritual Care Matters, NES, 2021.)
Who We Are
NHSGGC registered chaplains are trained professionals who offer confidential, compassionate, inclusive, non-judgemental, person-centred spiritual, emotional and bereavement care and support for all hospital communities in our health board.
The spiritual care team are available to support and listen to everyone, including family and friends, staff, students and volunteers – this includes people of all backgrounds, faiths and no religious beliefs, who have equal access to the spiritual care service.
Chaplains in the Spiritual Care Service can support you by providing care that meets your needs. This may include:
- Offering an inclusive, caring, confidential space for you to reflect or talk openly about whatever is on your mind
- Listening sensitively to your story and all that you are going through, for example by helping you celebrate life events and / or mark times of remembrance
- Dealing with a new diagnosis or difficult news
- Helping to nurture hope for some and build resilience, for example if you feel anxious or afraid, or you are experiencing a significant life event
- Facilitating prayer and rituals including liaising with different faith and belief groups if required by you
- Signposting you or your family/friends to additional sources of support with your consent, for example if you are affected by bereavement or loss
- Advocating on your behalf to support your physical, spiritual, emotional and/or mental wellbeing, for example if you are affected by stress.
NHSGGC Sanctuaries
Sanctuaries are available at many of our NHSGGC hospital sites. They are neutral, non-religious spaces available for everyone to use at any time of day or night and provide:
- Quiet spaces to reflect, pray or meditate
- A variety of reading materials
- Some religious items
Further Information
What is Occupational Therapy?
“Occupational therapy helps you live your best life at home, at work – and everywhere else. It’s about being able to do the things you want and have to do.” Royal College of Occupational Therapists, (2023).
Occupations are all the activities of daily living that you need, have and want to do. Everything from getting washed and dressed in the morning, to going to work or school, to hobbies and leisure activities.
What do occupational therapists do?
Occupational therapists work with anybody who is having difficulty doing their occupations. Occupational therapists support people to recover and overcome barriers which are stopping them from doing what matters to them. We aim to empower you to actively participate in meaningful occupations to improve your mental and physical health and wellbeing.
How can occupational therapists help?
Occupational therapists consider the person, the occupation and the environment. We look beyond diagnosis and limitations and focus on what matters to you. We look at the occupation and the environment to support you to make changes to help you to participate more. Therapeutic interventions will focus on daily activities that matter to you. We might also help you to adapt your home, school and work environments. We may provide aids/equipment if/when it is needed.
Who do occupational therapists work with?
We all engage in occupations from the day we are born and then continue to do so throughout our life span. Therefore, occupational therapists work with children and adults of all ages with a wide range of conditions and differences. You can find out more about the different occupational therapy teams including how to contact them below:
Acute Adult Services
Occupational therapists work across the hospital sites and in different specialities. The best way to contact your occupational therapist is by contacting the ward or department. You can find ward contact information on the Main Hospitals page.
Children and Young People
Occupational therapists working with children and young people work in three teams:
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Specialist Community Paediatric Teams
- Royal Hospital for Children.
You can find out more about children and young people’s occupational therapy and how to contact them on KIDS.
Learning Disability
Occupational therapists work within both community and in-patient Learning Disability Services. They are based in sites across NHSGGC.
In-patient Learning Disabilities
- Blythswood House
- Fulbar Lane, Renfrew , PA4 8NT
- Tel: 0141 314 9201
- Claythorn House Ward
- Gartnavel Royal Hospital, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0YH
- Tel: 0141 211 3688
Community Learning Disability Teams
- East Dunbartonshire Joint Learning Disability Team
- East Renfrewshire Learning Disabilities Team
- Glasgow City Learning Disabilities Teams
- Inverclyde Community Learning Disabilities Team
- Renfrewshire Learning Disabilities Teams
- West Dunbartonshire Community Learning Disabilities Team
- Clydebank Centre for Health and Care, Queen Quay, Main Avenue, Clydebank, G81 1BS
- Tel: 0141 232 2190
Mental Health
Occupational therapists work in Mental Health Services and specialities across NHSGGC. The best way to contact your occupational therapist is by using the information on the Mental Health Hospitals, Resource Centres and Primary Care Teams page.
Occupational Therapy Mental Health Services
Rehabilitation
Occupational therapists work as part of multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Teams based in each Health and Social Care Partnerships across NHSGGC. Please choose you local authority and look for occupational therapy or rehabilitation teams on their websites.
Social Work
Social Work Occupational Therapy
Share your feedback
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to providing high quality care and treatment to our patients, and excellent service to others who use its services. Your feedback helps us build on what works well and improve what could be better.
Feedback
We encourage sharing feedback with staff delivering care, but offer various other ways for you to tell your story. It’s important to us that you can share your feedback about NHSGGC at a time and place you feel comfortable. You can find out more on our Share your feedback page.
Complaints
We understand, that sometimes things go wrong. If something goes wrong or if you are dissatisfied with something we have done, or have not done, please tell us and we will do our best to put things right. If we cannot resolve matters in the way you want, we will explain why it is not possible to do as you suggest. Find out more about our Complaints procedure or for further advice on how to make a complaint, please contact us via:
Phone: 0141 201 4500
E-mail: Complaints@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
How to become an occupational therapist
If you are interested in a career in occupational therapy you can find out more on the NHS Scotland Careers and ChooseOT websites.