Cathy Worboys
Senior Occupational Therapist
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy · Qualified 1997, Oxford Brookes · 28 years in practice
A physiotherapist works on what your body can do. Cathy works on what your day can look like — the stairs, the kettle, the bath, the walk to the car. Twenty-eight years of it, most of them in NHS community rehabilitation.
Cathy’s specialisms
Additional training and skills
About Cathy
Cathy qualified in 1997 from Oxford Brookes University with a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy. She began her career at St George’s Hospital in London, working across a wide variety of settings, then returned to Dorset in 2001 after travelling and has worked in NHS community rehabilitation ever since.
That is over twenty years spent helping people with complex long-term conditions where deconditioning has taken away their functional independence — the ordinary daily things that quietly stop being possible.
She has extensive experience in neurological conditions, including stroke and Parkinson’s, and provides both physical and cognitive neurological rehabilitation. She has a particular interest in contracture management and is experienced in neurological splinting of the upper limb.
Cathy has also worked extensively with falls. She offers practical solutions to daily activities, full environmental assessments, advice on equipment provision and manual handling, and exercise programmes — often all in the same visit, because in someone’s home these problems are not separate.
As an occupational therapist her focus is wellbeing and quality of life: supporting people to live well with a condition rather than simply treat it. That includes help with anxiety, lifestyle management, and pacing and fatigue management, and she likes to use meaningful everyday activity alongside exercise in her rehabilitation programmes.
Cathy still loves to travel and is usually planning her next trip. She is married with children and a busy home life, and keeps her own balance through yoga, swimming and long dog walks on the Jurassic Coast.
Where Cathy visits
If your town is not listed, call us — Cathy covers a wide area across Dorset and we very often reach further than the list suggests.
Common questions
What does an occupational therapist do that a physiotherapist does not?
An occupational therapist focuses on the practical business of daily life — washing, dressing, cooking, stairs, getting in and out of bed — and on the home itself, including equipment and adaptations. A physiotherapist focuses on movement, strength and balance. Most people are not sure which one they need, and that is completely normal; call us and we will tell you honestly. Cathy also provides cognitive rehabilitation after a stroke, working on memory, planning and attention, which sits firmly on the occupational therapy side. She often works alongside our physiotherapists on the same case.
Can Cathy assess my home for safety and equipment?
Yes. Cathy carries out full environmental assessments in your own home, advising on equipment provision, manual handling and practical changes to daily activities. This is the clearest reason occupational therapy works better at home than in a clinic — the assessment happens against your actual stairs and your actual bathroom, not a description of them. Call 07384 590177.
Can occupational therapy help with fatigue?
Yes. Cathy offers pacing and fatigue management, helping you spread energy across a day so that the things that matter to you remain possible. She also supports anxiety and lifestyle management as part of the same approach, because for most people those three things are tangled together.
Arrange a visit with Cathy
Call our Clinical Director for a free, no-obligation conversation. She will listen to your situation, tell you honestly whether we can help, and match you with the right specialist.