Spotlight On An Expert – Jenna Beattie

When I discovered occupational therapy, I was in the first year of a biomedical science degree, feeling very dissatisfied with life in a laboratory, having only the chemicals to chat to.

After reading an online blog by a chap who had been involved in a motorbike accident, telling his story of his head injury and how his OT had supported him to cope with his life-changing injuries, I was immediately drawn in. Little did I know then that I would go on to spend 7 years working in a major trauma unit.

I soon withdrew from my original degree and went to study occupational therapy in Edinburgh. I never looked back. Before graduation, I had lined up my first job in West London and was thrown in the deep end on a mixed rotation, starting out in an acute mental health unit. I eventually moved on to St Thomas’ Hospital, excited by working right by Westminster every day. I gained so much experience from excellent OTs across medicine, orthopaedics, amputees, and the emergency department. My interest in neurology was always there, but luckily, I had a supervisor who was happy to nurture my curiosity and would take me along to see the neuro outpatients and taught me how to splint.

After a quick year-long sabbatical in Australia, I came back into a neuro rotation at the Royal Free Hospital in North London. I will always be grateful to the brilliant senior OTs and physios there who shared their extensive knowledge with me, as I learned the ropes in neurology and stroke. We had excellent teaching and mentorship, which helped me develop my knowledge and skills. I was lucky enough to get experience in neuro inpatient rehabilitation and community settings. I learned how to run community groups for people with long-term conditions and got to work alongside charities and engineers to solve difficult problems for people with conditions like MND and MS.

I moved to the major trauma centre at Imperial College in 2017 and fell in love with the specialty. Brain and spinal cord injury became my day-to-day work, from the intensive care unit to sending patients off on their rehab journeys. I worked with many fantastic trauma surgeons, nurses, speech therapists, and physios, as well as the brain injury charity Headway, who were an invaluable resource. I was lucky to be involved in research into treatment for vestibular dysfunction after brain injury, as well as a nationwide trial on vocational rehab after trauma.

Knowing that I would not be able to sustain the intensity of acute settings into later life, I started to think about options to branch out in my career. I compressed my working hours to four days a week and answered an ad in the OT news to Somek in 2021. I had no idea what lay ahead.

I started off slowly, taking only three cases a year. I was impressed from the start with the level of mentorship given to me and the attention to detail that the admin team gave to all my reports. I am still so impressed with how meticulously they work and have always found that so reassuring, as I have learned the process. It has been a major learning curve, but thankfully, having my trainer at the end of the phone has given me the support and confidence to keep going. I remember how anxious I felt having to speak with the solicitors for the first time, but four years on, I really enjoy the case conferences.

Now in 2025, I have been able to finally achieve the balance that I was hoping for, working three days a week in the NHS and two days a week as an expert witness. This has allowed me to continue working in an environment that I love, in a busy acute hospital, but spend the second half of my week working at my own pace in a completely different area, which I find so interesting. I think both sides of my work really compliment each other, and I hope to continue long into the future. I am keen to run some courses for OTs in treating neurological conditions, when I find the time one day!

Besides working as an OT, I love all things outdoors. Mostly horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing. After unfortunately breaking my arm in a recent biking accident in the Welsh mountains, I found myself on my trolley in A&E scrolling online for long-handled aids, one-handed cooking tools, and a slide sheet for myself – turns out you can’t switch it off!

Go ahead and find out more information on Jenna Beattie here.