Posted on: 3 November 2020
When Kensington and Chelsea CAMHS Team manager Sam Dhingra was growing up in New Delhi his mother must have seen a character predisposed to becoming an OT.
She suggested he apply for a degree in Occupational Therapy at New Delhi University, which he did.
A nurse herself, she had worked alongside OTs and saw how they had helped service users to make the most of their lives within their own limitations.
“She saw something in me in the role of OT and thought it would be a good fit for me with my own personal value base,” he says, though adds: “I still wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do.”
Following his degree and by this time convinced that he wanted to be an OT, he went on to do a Masters at the University of Northampton.
This was partly so he could experience a different culture in a different country to help him gain a new perspective for his now chosen career, but also to undertake a more practical course than the more academic degree.
Since then he’s worked in a variety of settings across the country, starting in Lancaster before eventually gaining his current role with CNWL in 2018.
He’s loved his career journey to date, which has allowed him to develop the experience and skills he has gained.
“I think these variety of roles, which have included working in more specialist teams as well as inpatient teams, have helped me gain an holistic viewpoint so I can think about the best pathway for service users,” he says.
“My strong belief is that the OT profession will play a key role in making sure the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan are delivered.”
With his background, Sam believes he has gained a good understanding of what patients and his team needs, particularly given that he works in an area of London where there is a high proportion of BAME patients and staff.
“Being a BAME staff member, I have similar experiences of working in different NHS structures as my other BAME colleagues. Being an OT, I have always advocated for occupational and social justice for people I work with as principles of diversity and equality are at the core of OT profession.
“My BAME working experience and OT core skills have helped me to connect with other BAME colleagues due to our similar journeys and my willingness to share experiences and approaches when colleagues want support.
“I have always taken pride in using my personal and professional backgrounds to engage with service users by asking them about their cultures, beliefs and values to help develop a meaningful treatment plan.
“By acknowledging my background and beliefs means I can reach out to people who might not otherwise have accessed services because I understand their cultural needs and acknowledge their beliefs.
“This means I can also broaden what the service user can access in terms of interventions because through my NHS experience I have a wide understanding of the intervention available for service users.
“Being an OT I’m a firm advocate in co-production and at a former trust I had the opportunity to be part of the Triangle of Care initiative, which led to co-delivery of clinical pathways for service users.”