Nicola Johnson

Nicola is skilled at working with a wide range of client groups ranging from minor to complex orthopaedic injuries, neurological conditions, mild brain injury and sensory impairments.  She is sensitive to addressing pain, trauma and psychological needs when these occur alongside physical disability, loss of independence and function.

Nicola has experience in working with clients with visual injuries, including but not limited to, acquired visual loss, neurological patterns of visual loss such restrictions in visual field, monocular vision, reduced visual acuity, absent functional vision/blindness.  As an Expert Witness, Nicola takes a significant number of instructions in visual impairment cases and considers this to be an area of special interest.

Nicola works as a rehabilitation Case Manager and as such is skilled at assessing rehabilitation needs, costing for and implementing packages of rehabilitation for a diverse client group.

As an independent Occupational Therapist, Nicola manages a varied caseload of clients with a range of needs.  She works alongside case managers, charitable organisations, local authorities and housing associations.

Nicola is an experienced trainer and deliver regular training to staff on behalf of a Local Authority, to widen the skill base of their staff by teaching them how to assess for and fit items of assistive equipment, minor adaptations, and assistive technology.

She has worked alongside housing association, carrying out OT assessments and making recommendations for equipment and adaptations, including the drawing of wet-room plans and writing specifications for showers and stairlifts.  In addition to this role, Nicola gained experience of large projects including overseeing privately funded major adaptations.

Additionally, She has worked in non-traditional OT roles and have a wealth of experience of social care assessments.  This increased my knowledge and awareness of the social care system including personal budgets, direct payments, single-handed care and ‘right-sizing’ of care packages.  Nicola has undertaken training in this area and estimate that she has completed over 250 assessments of this nature.

Nicola has worked with adults with visual impairment.  She has assisted clients with neurological visual loss to learn techniques to adapt to live with their sensory impairment.  She has made recommendations for housing and equipment needs for adults living with visual impairment.  Nicola has completed assessments alongside visual impairment specialists.  She has experience of working with both sudden onset and gradual visual loss and so is aware of the significant psychological implications and impact on the loss of confidence and independence for the individual.

In 2019 Nicola joined an independent network of OTs as a Rehabilitation Case Manager.  Overseeing a caseload of clients with a range of injuries, for whom she designs and implements co-ordinated and timely packages of rehabilitation in order to maximise recovery and return to their pre-injury occupations.

For over 6 years prior to moving into independent practice, Nicola was a specialist Occupational Therapist working for a large social housing provider.  Her clinical role involved completing full functional assessments of tenants in their own homes, detailing recommendations for adaptations to meet immediate and future needs and preparing reports detailing recommendations regarding future housing needs.

At Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust one of her roles was co-ordinator for the multi-disciplinary Motor Neurone Disease Team.  This highly specialised service and senior role relied upon the ability to quickly and accurately predict future care needs through ongoing timely assessment, sourcing of equipment and adaptations, and securing of funding.  Forming close links with social workers and care agencies, making recommendations on the level of care required to address deteriorating needs.  She regularly attended case conferences to discuss complex cases.

Since 2013 Nicola has complemented her clinical work by undertaking medico-legal work with Jacqueline Webb & Co as a Care Expert Witness.  She is skilled in carrying out thorough assessments both in person and over the telephone/Skype, and preparing in depth reports detailing a claimant’s past, present and future needs.  Nicola has taken part in a number of Expert Meetings and case conferences.  She is regularly instructed in Visual Impairment cases.

Nicola ensures her Continuing Professional Development by attending conferences, training courses, study days, seminars and other networking events.