Helena Grace is an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience working in local authorities and the NHS. She currently works as a CQC Special Advisor and runs her own consultancy, Grace and Associates Ltd. Her career has included roles as a commissioner, manager, and therapist. She has strong skills in areas such as project management, service reviews, training, and the use of equipment and adaptations.

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HELENA GRACE
15 Southdown Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 6FH
Mobile 07824722097
Email Helena.grace@graceandassociates.co.uk
HCPC registration number OT 25162
KEY ATTRIBUTES
 Motivated self starter with excellent organisational skills
 Advanced written and verbal communication skills
 Creative and analytical thinker with a track record of resolving complex
issues
 Ability to manage complex projects and work effectively with a range of
stakeholders
 Sound knowledge of local authority and National Health Service operations
and commissioning
 Strong Occupational Therapy clinical reasoning skills
 Good knowledge of local authority legislation, national policies and best
practice guidance.
CAREER PROGRESSION
CQC Special Advisor February 2015 – present
 Providing specialist advice and input into the Care Quality Commission’s
regulatory inspection and investigation activity.
Director of Grace and Associates Ltd January 2012- present
 Consultancy work for local authorities and CCGs including: Service reviews,
reprocurement of county wide Children and Adults wheelchair and specialist
seating service, project management of service transition, training
consultancy, clinical and strategic input into Falls and Fractures Prevention
Pathway, review of funding mechanisms for major adaptations
.
 Design and delivery of a range of courses to ASC staff including: DLE entry
level assessor, reabling approaches to assessment
 Coaching/supportive enquiry: Design and delivery of innovative Skills for Care
coaching project to ASC staff to increase prescription of Telecare

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Commissioner Integrated Community Equipment Services, Minor adaptations
and Assistive technology October 2010-November 2011
 Joint commissioner on behalf of Adult Social Care and PCT for Integrated
Community Equipment Services (ICES) : Reviewed existing section 75
arrangements, wrote policy for provision of equipment for nursing and
residential homes, wrote service specification, initiated and produced
Continuing HealthCare guidance for funding and delivery of equipment,
drafting and agreeing service level agreement and operational procedures,
initiated equipment scrutiny panel.
 Commissioner for minor adaptations: Rationalisation of budgets, review of
eligibility criteria and provision, design of service specification, , evaluation
and remodelling of sensory minors service to produce cost savings.
 Commissioner for assistive technology: Reviewed existing Telecare
arrangements, commissioned and secured funding for pilot ‘Just Checking’
invest- to -save project for Learning Disability residential homes, co-author of
draft Telecare strategy
 Worked collaboratively with Southern England OT managers to devise a draft
shared criteria for Adult Social care top ups for major adaptations
 ASC lead for joint ASC and NHS equipment exceptions scrutiny panel
 Attended MSC module on Commissioning for the Public Sector at Brighton
University
Acting Team Manager Occupational Therapy Assessment team January 2010-
October 2010 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care Division
 Oversaw transfer of provision of major adaptations to Housing Occupational
Therapy department including staff consultation, equalities impact
assessment, process mapping, budget setting, designing and agreeing
service specification.
 Designed and implemented strategies to reduce the OT waiting list for
assessment from 700 to 80 over a 9 month period.
 Integrated existing separate Health and Adult Social Care clinical scrutiny
panels into a joint virtual equipment panel and introduced teleconferencing
 Established equipment brokerage post to support the procurement process
and ensure best value for equipment
 Founder and chair of working group advising BHCC on legal position re self
and charitable funding of Daily Living Equipment

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 Supervised senior OTs and Hearing Impairment Officer
Service Development Occupational Manager May 2006- January 2010 Brighton
and Hove Council, Adult Social Care Division
 Established Service Development Manager Post
 Lead role in briefing and advising senior managers and clinical staff across
the Assessment, Housing and Children and Families Occupational Therapy
teams on national developments and ensuring that procedures, protocols and
policies were in place so that the government and departmental performance
indicators and the requirements of the professional body could be met.
 Lead role in research across local authorities and Health nationwide to ensure
a consistency of approach and the implementation of best practice.
Main projects:
Reablement
 Co author of the vision informing the Transformation model for BHCC,
involving the establishment of Access point, Community Solutions, SIT and
the reviewing team.
 Worked with project team on shaping the reablement model for BHCC
 Joint project manager for launch of internal homecare reablement scheme
 Designed city wide reablement training programme including identifying
training requirements and demand, co authoring training modules, identifiying
competencies.
 Designed service user feedback questionnaire for reablement service
Direct payments Daily Living Equipment and Minor adaptations
 Author of direct payments for Daily Living Equipment policy - one of the first
nationally. Delivered City wide training.
 Author of draft direct payments for minor adaptations policy
Operational instructions major and minor
 Author of city wide OT guidance around procedures and eligibility for minor
and major adaptations across all tenures

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City wide OT training coordinator
 Budget holder and commissioner for city wide OT training including adults and
children
Fair Access To Care (FACS) Guidance
 Reviewed current FACS eligibility for OT and sensory services
 Competency Framework for Occupational Therapists
 Designed and implemented competency based system for OT career
progression city wide
Adult Social Care Occupational Therapy representative
 Service User Engagement forum
 Senior practitioner OT clinical and service development forum
 Equipment providers forum for ICES
 Member of panel of Brighton and Hove Integrated Special Equipment Panel
Early career
June 2003-January 2004 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care
Division
Acting Resource Manager City Wide OT team
 Development and running of the duty system
 Personnel issues
 Training
 Allocation of cases and management of the waiting list
 Supervision of 10 OTs and Office Manager
 Service development projects
January 2003-June 2003 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care
Division
Duty occupational therapist
 Telephone referrals and risk ranking.
 Design and provision of operational guidelines.
November 2001-January 2003 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care
Division (return from maternity leave)

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Community occupational therapist
 Complex Occupational Therapy casework and assessment
July 1997- November 2000 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care
Division (inc 1 year maternity leave)
Occupational therapist HIV Services
 Sole occupational therapist in a multidisciplinary team
 Initiated working in partnership with health services to provide a more holistic
OT service looking at social and mental health needs.
 Initiated, designed and ran a range of therapy groups, including anxiety
management and vocational advice.
 Assessment and recommendation a range of equipment and adaptations.
 Screening and allocating work
 Supervision of Occupational Therapy Assistant.
February 1996- July 1997 Brighton and Hove Council, Adult Social Care
Division
Community Occupational Therapist
 Complex assessments of need
 Prescription of simple and complex daily living equipment and minor and
major adaptations in the community for children and adults
 Supervision of Occupational Therapy Assistant
October 1995-February 1996 Waltham Forest Social Services, Hatch Lane,
Chingford
Community Occupational Therapist
 Simple home visit assessments of need
 Recommendation and oversight of daily living equipment and simple major
adaptations
Qualifications:
 PTTLS adult education training 2013 MKLC training
 Post Graduate Diploma OT 1995 School of Occupational Therapy, Royal
London Hospital Medical College, Whitechapel, London
 MA English 1987 University of Sussex, Brighton
 BA (hons) 2:1 English 1985 University of Sussex, Brighton