University of Northampton occupational therapy graduate lands dream job after near-fatal crash changed his life

A University of Northampton graduate, who used occupational therapy to rebuild his life and start a new career after a near-fatal crash, has landed his perfect job.

Andy Jay has been hired as an occupational therapist at The Reach for Health Centre, a Daventry-based charity specialising in physical and mental health rehabilitation.

"I feel honoured to be working here and to support them as they extend the hugely important health and wellbeing care they provide," he said.

"It has allowed me to put into practice what I have learned during my degree.”

Andy sustained extensive injuries following the accident in 2015, including a broken leg, shattered elbow, broken forearm, six broken ribs, fractures to multiple vertebrae and many more internal injuries.

Subsequently, he suffered two strokes, spent a week in a coma and a further five months in hospital.

As part of his post-hospital treatment, an occupational therapist helped Andy to return as close as possible to his pre-crash lifestyle and interests.

This opened his eyes to the possibility of an entirely new career option having previously been a telephone engineer.

Following the completion of his degree in occupational therapy (OT), Andy will be working at The Reach for Health Centre, where he was based for the final 12 weeks of his student placement.

“The Reach for Health Centre will make a huge difference to both the physical and mental health outcomes for its members," he said.

"By incorporating OT into the service, we can offer practical support to people with physical and mental illness, disability, long-term conditions or those experiencing the effects of ageing.

"This will enable them to get closer to being able to do the things they need or want to do.

“I was lucky to have received 12 weeks of community rehabilitation following my stroke, as the delivery of ongoing and longer-term stroke rehabilitation varies across the UK.

“Without somewhere like The Reach for Health Centre, people are often left with nowhere to go once they are out of the acute phase of their illness or condition."

Andy's post is funded by The Reach for Health Centre and the Elizabeth Casson Trust, an organisation that works to support the development of occupational therapy.

As part of his role, the graduate is supporting University of Northampton OT students providing interventions and support to the attending service users.

The Reach for Health Centre hopes to have a permanent OT clinic staffed by university OT graduates and students with the possibility of conducting research.

Rob Juson, chair of trustees at The Reach for Health Centre, added: “It has been a real pleasure having Andy working with and becoming an integral part of our team.

"Bringing the disciplines of occupational therapy to our services has added a new and refreshing dimension to what we do”.

The Reach for Health Centre opened a new facility in Daventry for face-to-face consultations on Monday (November 2).

The new centre will offer much-improved facilities and support for their service users, most of whom are referred by NHS medical professionals.