Paula Otter

Paula is an Occupational Therapist in stroke rehabilitation, joining the Bridges team in November 2022 on a 12-month secondment from the NHS.

Paula has worked for over twenty years, both within the NHS and in the USA, predominantly in the field of neurorehabilitation.  In 2017 she completed a two-year clinical research associate secondment where she spent half her time as the clinical team lead Occupational Therapist for an inpatient stroke service, and the other half completing research into carers’ experiences when visiting the stroke ward.  She then presented this research at the National Stroke Forum Conference 2019.

Paula has always had a strong interest in collaborative working styles and, after connecting with Bridges a few years ago, was able to secure funding to bring their workshops to teams within her service line.  Participating in the workshops enhanced the way she worked with patients and their families by adopting personalised self-management approaches early on in rehabilitation.