HEALTHYWORK - Key Persons

Alison Biggs

Job Titles:
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Member of RCOT Specialist Section
  • Qualified Occupational Therapist
Alison Biggs, a qualified Occupational Therapist completed a degree in Occupational Therapy (BSc Hons) from Oxford Brookes University in 1993. Once registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) she worked within several healthcare fields (Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedics, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Neuro-rehabilitation). Alison focussed on back pain management in 1995 at the Wolfson Rehab Centre, St Georges NHS Trust in London. Alongside this she developed her skills in Cognitive Assessment and client centered holistic approaches. She worked closely with other health professionals such as Physiotherapy, Psychology, Social Workers and Medical staff. She became increasingly involved in the impact of physical and mental health conditions on the working lives of individuals and their return to work plans. In 1998 Alison was involved in a government funded New Deal for Disabled People project at Westminster Healthcare (now Priory Healthcare) in Leicestershire, to get people back to work who had been off sick or unemployed, due to a health condition. This was a most rewarding project and due to government interest, had a high profile within the healthcare industry. She helped employees in a variety of industries return to work, including car manufacturing, the telecommunications industry and leading national banks & building societies. It is crucial for the employer and employee to have support from a healthcare professional. Alison was then employed by Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust (now Imperial College NHS Trust) in London as a Back Care & Manual Handling Advisor. She was assessing the musculo-skeletal health of employees in the trust. Nursing, medical and also desk-based staff working on computers all day. They required training to assess the risks of their tasks and working environment to find practical day to day solutions. Alison is also a member of RCOT Specialist Section - Independent Practice (RCOT SS-IP), and of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association UK (VRA). and of the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) and was a speaker at their annual Occupational Health Conference in June 2017 and June 2019 on the role of Occupational Therapists in Occupational Health.