Update by Callum MacKinnon (Founder & Occupational Therapy Lead)
I’m more than happy to be challenged on this topic - but I will not let anyone be denied access to support that would benefit them…especially when it is more than likely fully funded from our end, and it would help improve their quality of life.
If there’s a nursery, school, or even professional, advising against accessing bOunceT as ‘it might contradict what NHS OT do’ then please tell them to contact us to have a conversation.
I would argue it’s unprofessional and very disappointing that people or places would limit access to beneficial activity for individuals and families (who already have to fight to access so much).
90% + families access bOunceT to use the inclusive activity space that we have built across the last 5 years - either for family fun time, or with an experienced Play Leader.
Just because an OT leads the service who makes the environment and activities at the ‘just right’ level, for different children and adults, doesn’t mean we are doing anything contra-indicatory.
There’s a small handful of people who want more specialist support (from a registered OT - currently myself and Euan) and I can understand this is where the water might seem a little muddier. However, anyone that has a conversation with us will know that we’re evidence based in all our work.
1. There’s some things we do that are the same as NHS.
2. There’s many things we don’t do (due to our limited resources and we don’t try to take over their role).
3. There’s things we can do that NHS can’t / won’t (often due to red tape/capacity/ budgets).
However - one thing is clear - we don’t do anything that’s contra indicatory to what others might say or do - NHS, private sector, whoever.
If anything, we are ‘complimentary’.
Unfortunately, these individuals advising against accessing bOunceT probably don’t even know that we deliver services in partnership with local health and social care services - and get funding from the public sector to do a lot of our work.
Not only this, but we go above and beyond (usually non-funded time) to try and attend TAC (Team Around Child) meetings, service review meetings, and attend whatever else we can locally so we’re working ‘with’ the professionals and services (almost as much as the families).
Ironically, we had an NHS OT attend a session with an individual recently so they could observe them participate in a new activity (which helped with their assessment).
I’ve dealt with this same comment across the years - even when I first started (2017) and people told me I couldn’t ’do OT’ outside of the NHS so young.
I’m going to follow up with the family who were advised not to access bOunceT this week… I feel it is now part of my duty of care to give them the best quality information so they can decide for themselves if they will benefit from the service or not. Following this, I will contact the school who told them not to access us, to ask them to liaise with us next time they have a query.
I take full responsibility for potentially the lack of clarity and advertisement around our services online - so will continue to liaise with marketing professionals and our website designers to help communicate our services/ prices/ referral routes better.
However, it’s a 2 way street.
If anyone has concerns or thoughts then contact us (or tell them to contact us) and we can explain our processes/ how we work with families/ how we work with others to set goals and measure outcomes.
I’m more than happy to be challenged on this topic - but I will not let anyone be denied access to support that would benefit them…especially when it is more than likely fully funded from our end, and it would help improve their quality of life.
Final reflections:
Connect, Chat, Collaborate & Care 
E: callum@bouncet.com
T: 07415323683
