Rosemary Johnson

Rosemary commonly deals with the care, support, equipment and housing needs of people with visual impairment, based on expertise developed during her years working at Bristol Eye Hospital. Each person with visual impairment has a unique experience of their sight loss and Rosemary’s understanding and experience in the field allows her to analyse the person’s needs and address their functional limitations. She continues to work with visually impaired people in her Social Services role and in independent practice.

Rosemary supports the work of the Deaf, Deafened and Hard of Hearing services in the Local Authority in which she works. She is responsible for the delivery of equipment in the homes of people with hearing loss to promote independence and safety.

Rosemary’s experience spans across a number of other specialist areas. She brings past specific experience working on a stroke unit, in different acute NHS hospitals and on a general hospital ward for people with dementia to her work in Social Services.

Rosemary has significant and ongoing experience of recommending and reviewing care packages in her Social Services work. She has previously directly commissioned and reviewed care packages as a Case Manager and has worked closely with Case Manager colleagues to advise on the support, rehabilitation, equipment and housing needs required for individuals with a wide range of injuries and conditions, including those who are visually impaired.

Since qualifying as an Occupational Therapist in 1985, Rosemary has worked in a range of clinical areas. In her current role as Service Manager in a Local Authority, she carries a complex caseload and manages teams of social workers and occupational therapists in Acute Health, Community Health and Community settings.

Rosemary has extensive specialist experience of working with people with visual impairment, having worked with people with visual impairment since 1990. She worked at the Bristol Eye Hospital for over 10 years. She has also managed a nationally recognised stroke unit at North Bristol NHS Trust. Prior to that Rosemary provided Occupational Therapy on a general medical ward for people with dementia, working with patients in hospital and facilitating their discharge into the community.

Throughout her career she has been involved in completing functional assessments, formulating treatment and rehabilitation programmes and assessing their progress, assessing care requirements ranging from specific, targeted care to 24-hour care and assessing home environments and adaptations.

As a Service Manager Rosemary is confident when making decisions. She is a skilled negotiator who can consider different views while defending her own position. She is self-confident and assertive.

Rosemary is committed to remaining up-to-date in her clinical area, as demonstrated by completing her MSc (OT) in 1996 while working full-time. She has also completed a post graduate diploma in Applied Ageing Studies in 2004. She participates in Continuing Professional Development to ensure that she is up to date in her professional and practice areas. Rosemary has had to be self-disciplined in managing her time and had to cope under pressure of workload and conflicting commitments. She is also skilled in writing objectively, using evidence to support her arguments.

2020-Present
Principal Occupational Therapist
Social Services