Accreditation Process

Here you will find all the relevant details about RCOT’s Accreditation Process, including the information education providers need to prepare for Accreditation or Re-accreditation. was published in September 2019 and should be read in conjunction with RCOT's Learning and development standards for pre-registration education.

2.1 How should we prepare for Accreditation?

Education providers^? seeking Accreditation are strongly advised to contact RCOT as early as possible, prior to the proposed start date of the pre-registration programme. This flowchart offers guidance on how far in advance an education provider should contact RCOT:

Preparing for RCOT Accreditation (PDF, 32.23KB)

RCOT’s approach to Accreditation is collaborative and focused on ensuring quality pre-registration programmes. During the preparation for Accreditation, RCOT is able to support the education provider as a ‘critical friend.’^? Pre-registration programme teams^? are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from RCOT early in the development or review stages to ensure they have a clear understanding of the requirements of Accreditation and RCOT’s Standards. RCOT staff are available to respond to queries and discuss any areas of concern raised by the pre-registration programme teams. Once documentation is submitted, the formal Accreditation Process is commenced and from this point, RCOT will act as the auditor and be unable to continue in the role as ‘critical friend.’^?

2.2 What do we need to submit in order for our pre-registration programme to be assessed for Accreditation?

‘Programme documentation’ refers to the collection of documents prepared by the education provider and submitted to RCOT as a key component of the Accreditation Process. The programme documentation should demonstrate how the pre-registration programme meets RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education. The Accreditation Panel will review the documentation prior to the Accreditation Visit, which must be submitted to RCOT at least 6 weeks before.

RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education are aligned with HCPC’s Standards for education and training, to streamline the preparation process for education providers seeking RCOT Accreditation in addition to HCPC^? approval.

Variation exists between education providers in the information documented across the pre-registration programme’s handbooks, strategies, policies, procedures, curricula and other resources describing and supporting the education to be delivered. However, the table below lists the broad document categories required by RCOT and the specific components which are most commonly captured within each category. The programme documentation may be requested in hard or soft copy.

Document category

Suggested information each document category may contain

Mapping document

To assist the Accreditation Panel’s review of the programme documentation, a mapping document is required. This allows education providers to signpost where the Accreditation Panel can find the evidence related to each standard and associated criteria within RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education.

A template mapping document is provided (in Word and Excel) to facilitate the mapping exercise. Please use your preferred choice.

Staffing strategy	The staffing strategy or equivalent information in the programme documentation should include: the educator-to-learner ratio^?; a description of how staff are distributed across all programmes; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders; the expertise and qualifications of educators and practice educators^? and how this influences the learning; the expertise and qualifications of administrative and support staff; the workload-planning model; the process for managing any increase in enrolments or decrease in staff; the CPD^? and lifelong learning^? opportunities for all staff; information about preparation and support offered to educators and practice educators; the strategy for stakeholder engagement and collaborations with health, care, disability, educational and legislative institutions; relevant information about external examiners.
Learner handbook	The learner handbook or equivalent information in the programme documentation should include: information related to learner recruitment and admissions; information related to recognition of prior learning; the learning outcomes; the learning, teaching and assessment strategy; all reading lists; information about learner participation and completion; information about preparation, induction and support for learners; information about interprofessional learning^?; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders; the education provider’s regulations and evidence of any relevant RCOT Accreditation-required exceptions in place the expertise and qualifications of educators and practice educators and how this influences the learning; the safeguarding^? policy; information about management of learners who are unable to meet the learning outcomes and/or are not fit to practise; information about academic appeals, grievance and complaints processes.
Programme handbook	The programme handbook or equivalent information in the programme documentation should include: information related to learner recruitment and admissions; information related to recognition of prior learning; learning outcomes; the learning, teaching and assessment strategy; all reading lists; information about learner participation and completion; information about preparation, induction and support for learners; information about interprofessional learning; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders; the education provider’s regulations and evidence of any relevant RCOT Accreditation-required exceptions in place the expertise and qualifications of educators and practice educators and how this influences the learning; the strategy for stakeholder engagement and collaborations with health, care, disability, educational and legislative institutions; the safeguarding policy; information about management of learners who are unable to meet the learning outcomes and/or are not fit to practise; information about academic appeals, grievance and complaints processes; relevant information about external examiners.
Practice-based learning^? handbook	The practice-based learning handbook or equivalent information in the programme documentation should include: information related to recognition of prior learning; the learning outcomes; the learning, teaching and assessment strategy; all reading lists; information about learner participation and completion; the learning agreements or contracts; details of the 1000 assessable practice-based learning hours requirement; information about practice-based learning failure and progression; the organisational and administrative strategy for coordinating practice-based learning; the supervision models; the expertise and qualifications of practice educators and educators involved in practice-based learning and how this influences the learning; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders; the education provider’s regulations and evidence of any relevant RCOT Accreditation-required exceptions in place; information about preparation and support for learners; information about preparation and support for practice educators, including details of any training courses or workshops; strategy for engaging and supporting practice-based learning providers^?; the quality assurance processes for practice-based learning elements; the safeguarding policy; information about management of learners who are unable to meet the learning outcomes and/or are not fit to practise; information about academic appeals, grievance and complaints processes.
Curriculum	The curriculum or equivalent information in the programme documentation should include: the programme specification; the learning outcomes; the philosophy and purpose statements; the learning, teaching and assessment strategy; the subject/module specifications; the plan for delivery; all reading lists; a summary of any relevant market research; evidence of alignment with CPD^? and lifelong learning principles^?; the research-related knowledge and skill development; information about interprofessional learning; the curriculum review cycle and approach.
Review and evaluation strategy	The review and evaluation strategy in the programme documentation should include: the commitment by education provider to sufficiently resource the pre-registration programme for the accredited period; information about involvement of people who access occupational therapy services^?, learners and graduates^? in the deliberative and decision-making processes related to the pre-registration programme; the curriculum^? review cycle and approach; the quality improvement and enhancement processes; the education provider’s regulations and evidence of any relevant RCOT Accreditation-required exceptions in place; the strategy for meeting RCOT’s ongoing quality monitoring requirements, specifically the annual monitoring report (AMR) and notification of major and minor changes; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders; the strategy for engaging and supporting current and potential employers; the strategy for continued improvement and maintenance of available resources and facilities.
Resource management strategy	The resource management strategy in the programme documentation should include: information about, and justification of, all available resources and facilities; the strategy for continued improvement and maintenance of available resources and facilities.
For apprenticeship pre-registration programmes^?:
Contract template	The contract template should represent an agreement between the learner, education provider and employer and describe: the organisational responsibilities of the employer^?, education provider and practice-based learning provider; the roles and responsibilities of the learner, work-based mentor^?, educator and practice educator; the status of learner, as opposed to employee, and the contexts in which this differentiation is important; the commitment by employers to meet the same expectations as education providers regarding sufficient resourcing to ensure there is quality in the education and learning opportunities provided; when and how the policies of employers and education providers will operate and which will take precedence in any given circumstance. An additional contract may be required to demonstrate arrangements for the end-point assessment^?.
End-point assessment^?	At least 12 months prior to the first scheduled end-point assessment, the education provider is required to submit evidence to RCOT of their entry onto the Register of End-point Assessment Organisations, or that they have appointed an end-point assessor from amongst those who have successfully been entered onto the Register.
Learner handbook	Information about the implications of failing on the learner’s potential for progress and continued employment.
Programme handbook	Details about how employee rights and pressure points in the employer’s workplace are taken into account by the education provider when scheduling practice-based learning. Information about the implications of failing on the learner’s potential for progress and continued employment.
Practice-based learning handbook	Information about the implications of failing on the learner’s potential for progress and continued employment. A clear statement regarding the requirements of practice placement including the requirement for 1000 practice-based learning hours to be successfully completed outside the learner’s place of employment.
Mapping to Apprenticeship Standard	The pre-registration programme and end-point assessment^? should be mapped to the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s Apprenticeship standard – occupational therapist (integrated degree).
Additional programme documentation categories for Re-accreditation
Pre-registration programme appraisal	A review of the entire accredited period and the rationale for any proposed changes to the pre-registration programme’s ongoing delivery.
External examiners’ reports	External examiners’ reports covering the last two years and the education provider’s response to these reports.

2.3 What is the role of RCOT’s Accreditation Panel?

Each education provider seeking Accreditation is appointed an RCOT Accreditation Panel. The role of the Accreditation Panel is to review the pre-registration programme and assess whether it meets RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education, the requirement for RCOT Accreditation. The Accreditation Panel assesses the programme documentation and visits the education provider to meet with the pre-registration programme team and other stakeholders, then recommends whether the pre-registration programme should be Accredited.

RCOT Accreditation Panels include 1 RCOT Officer and 1–2 RCOT Accreditors. RCOT Officers are staff members, who co-ordinate and manage the Accreditation Process, including:

liaising with the education provider’s quality office about the remit and expectations of the Accreditation Panel;
guiding the Accreditation Panel through all related meetings;
providing guidance to the education provider on how to meet RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education;
ensuring the Accreditation Panel uses RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education and follows the Accreditation Process;
ensuring relevant conditions, recommendations and commendations are presented to the education provider;
ensuring responses from the education provider following an Accreditation Visit are addressed promptly.

RCOT Accreditors are occupational therapists and professional members of RCOT in good standing, who have experience in occupational therapy pre-registration education and practice. RCOT has a clear disclosure of interests’ process, to identify any potential conflicts before an Accreditor is allocated to a specific Accreditation Panel. RCOT Accreditors must be independent assessors. If an education provider has worked with an Accreditor in the development of their pre-registration programme or as an adviser on the Accreditation Process, this individual will not be eligible to join the Accreditation Panel.

Where a new occupational therapy pre-registration programme is being Accredited or where 2 or more pre-registration programmes are being considered at the same event, the RCOT Accreditation Panel will consist of 2 RCOT Accreditors and the RCOT Officer. During visits for the purposes of Re-accrediting a single pre-registration programme, the RCOT Accreditation Panel will include 1 RCOT Accreditor, 1 training Accreditor and the RCOT Officer. Such events are the opportunity for new Accreditors to shadow the experienced Accreditor as a training experience.

2.4 What happens during an Accreditation Visit?

Our accreditation panel visits you either remotely or on-campus to meet the programme team and key stakeholder groups. Your key stakeholder groups will vary depending on the length, agenda and format of the accreditation visit and if:

it is for a new or existing pre-registration programme
it is for one or more occupational therapy pre-registration programmes
it is for a new or existing education provider
the visit is held jointly with the HCPC
if you are holding an accreditation event for multiple healthcare professional programmes, involving other professional bodies and need a joint accreditation visit.

For programmes starting in September, the accreditation event should be no later than the previous June and for programmes that start in January, the latest would be October.

We do not offer retrospective accreditation. Applications for accreditation can be made by a pre-registration programme already running or for a programme that has expired. Only new learners starting a programme in the academic year following accreditation being awarded can be classified as having completed an RCOT-Accredited and WFOT-approved pre-registration programme.

Accreditation visits vary in length from a minimum of 1.5 and up to 3 consecutive days. The first meeting of the day should not start before 8.30am and the final meeting of the day should end no later than 5.00pm. Meetings are with a range of stakeholder groups and a tour of the teaching facilities, including specialist areas such as suites. The agenda for the accreditation visit will be discussed with all participating stakeholders to make sure it meets everyone’s needs.

During the accreditation visit the panel will meet the following stakeholder groups. To encourage an open and informal discussion with learners? and practice-based learning providers the meeting should occur without the presence of any university panel staff. This includes the Chair, and discussions with the programme team should ideally occur without the presence of any senior management staff. No formal notetaking or minutes of the visit are needed.

Stakeholder groups for an accreditation visit
Representatives of other approving organisations	We suggest a pre-meeting if you and/or the HCPC are approving or validating the pre-registration programme to agree on agenda items and identify shared issues for discussion.
Pre-registration programme team^?	To discuss the pre-registration programme in depth, including the changes being implemented, rationale, philosophy, resources, programme leadership and management.
Senior management	To discuss the viability of the pre-registration programme, the support provided, the staffing and resource management, the workload-planning models and overarching educational methodologies e.g. interprofessional learning and online learning.
Existing learners (or learners from similar existing programmes if the education provider is seeking Accreditation for a new pre-registration programme)	To discuss the learner experience at all stages including admissions, practice and university-based studies and engagement in quality mechanisms.
Practice partners including practice-based learning providers and practice educators	To discuss our support and the working relationship with the pre-registration programme team, roles and responsibilities, employment opportunities and involvement in the programme development.
Employers and work-based mentors for apprenticeship pre-registration programmes	To discuss with employers the commitment to the pre-registration programme. To discuss with work-based mentors the working relationship with the pre-registration programme team, roles and responsibilities, support provided by the programme team and employer, and involvement in the programme development.
People who access occupational therapy services	To discuss their involvement in the development and implementation of the pre-registration programme.

A suggested agenda with timings allocated to the individual meetings is provided here.

RCOT accreditation - suggested event agenda timings (PDF, 39.29KB)

For virtual events include additional breaks away from screens. Following the stakeholder meetings, the panel will need private meeting time to review, reflect and prepare an outcome report before giving feedback.

The agenda must be sent to us for pre-event comment and to confirm the timings for each stakeholder meeting have been considered before finalising.

The attached document provides information that can be shared with people invited to attend a stakeholder meetings .

RCOT accreditation – information for participants (PDF, 100.69KB)

The Chair appointed to facilitate the discussions should be independent. The role of the Chair includes making sure that all the representatives have an equal opportunity to raise questions and contribute to the discussion, to provide guidance on university processes, procedures, rules and regulations and to keep to the planned agenda. The Chair should be independent and have experience of the validation and approval processes of professionally regulated programmes. A secretary is not required to be present or formal minutes of meetings to be provided following the event.

We evaluate each accreditation visit. This gives the professional and or programme lead involved the opportunity to feedback for quality monitoring and enhancement. Feedback is included in the annual accreditation report for the RCOT’s Learning and Development Board. We will investigate any concerns expressed through this process by stakeholders and provide a formal response.

2.5 What are the potential outcomes of an Accreditation Visit?

At the end of the visit, our accreditation panel will provide verbal feedback to the pre-registration programme team on the likely outcome of the accreditation process. We will send you the formal outcome in writing within one week of the visit.
Potential outcomes include:

Accreditation to be awarded, subject to conditions and/or recommendations
deferred accreditation.

See the accreditation outcome flowchart for further information

Accreditation outcome flowchart (PDF, 52.12KB)

The Accreditation Panel values a collegiate and supportive approach to each Accreditation Visit and prioritises the opportunity to provide commendations.

Commendations

Conditions

Recommendations

Commendations are awarded to recognise a particular area of best practice that is considered exemplary.

A condition is defined as an obligation that must be met before the pre-registration programme can be Accredited. A condition is set where a standard or criterion from RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education has not been met or there is insufficient evidence of it being met.

A recommendation is defined as professional or academic advice that is intended to stimulate debate in order to encourage further enhancements to a pre-registration programme. The education provider is obligated to respond to the recommendation and to justify its response; however, it is not obliged to implement the advice. Recommendations are normally offered when it is felt that a particular standard or criterion from RCOT’s Learning and development standards for pre-registration education has been met at, or just above, the threshold level.

When accreditation is granted subject to conditions, a mutually agreed date is set for a response. The accreditation panel offers support to the pre-registration programme team to implement the changes recommended in the conditions within the agreed timeline.

If further evidence is needed to meet the Learning and development standards for pre-registration education the accreditation decision may be deferred. When this happens a mutually agreed timeline is agreed with the event Chair or quality standards team for a response. A further meeting may be requested to discuss the outcome of this process.

When conditions and recommendations have been met, accreditation is granted and WFOT are notified of the successful outcome.

Accreditation must be in place before a pre-registration programme starts.

2.6 What is the Accreditation timeline?

The normal timelines and key milestones in the Accreditation Process are available here:

RCOT Accreditation timeline (PDF, 52.12KB)

If you are considering RCOT Accreditation for a new pre-registration programme, please contact RCOT as soon as possible to arrange an initial discussion.

If you are considering RCOT Re-accreditation for an established pre-registration programme, outside the normal 5-year cycle, please contact RCOT as soon as possible.

An Accreditation Visit will occur no later than June for a pre-registration programme starting the following September and no later than October for a pre-registration programme starting the following January.

RCOT does not offer retrospective accreditation. Applications can be made for Accreditation by a pre-registration programme already running or one for which Accreditation has previously expired. However, only new learners entering in the academic year following Accreditation being awarded can be classified as having completed an RCOT-Accredited and WFOT-approved pre-registration programme.

2.7 How do we recognise our RCOT Accreditation achievement?

Once RCOT Accreditation is awarded, RCOT will recognise this achievement by:

providing the education provider with the RCOT Accreditation logo, along with the conditions for use;
notifying WFOT by adding to or updating the WFOT approved education programmes webpage;
including the details of the education provider and pre-registration programme in the RCOT Career handbook, produced annually;
highlighting the pre-registration programme to prospective learners who contact RCOT;
providing induction sessions for new learners with RCOT’s Education Liaison Officer;
distributing foundational RCOT resources to all new learners;
distributing all core RCOT publications to the education provider’s library;
inviting the education providers’ librarians to annual study days;
inviting members of the programme team to apply for the role of RCOT Accreditor;
ensuring programme team is represented on the Council of Occupational Therapy Education Directors (COTED) and associated subgroups.

2.8 What is the Accreditation cycle?

For quality monitoring and enhancement, the pre-registration programme should be reviewed continually and revised at least every 5 years. An application to RCOT for an extension to the normal 5-year cycle may be considered. RCOT may request an earlier review if there is:

a major change to the pre-registration programme;
an inexperienced teaching team managing the pre-registration programme;
a rapid turnover of educators and support staff since the last Accreditation Visit;
a high level of innovation in the content, delivery or assessment of the pre-registration programme.

Where an Accredited pre-registration programme is not recruited to in the expected timeline, the Accreditation will remain in place for 2 years. If the course is recruited to and runs after that time, RCOT will seek a formal discussion with the education provider and potentially offer a modified Accreditation Visit to ensure that the pre-registration programme remains aligned with the Learning and development standards for pre-registration education.

2.9 Does RCOT offer retrospective Accreditation?

No, RCOT does not grant retrospective Accreditation of pre-registration programmes. This policy is to ensure alignment with WFOT’s requirements. Applications can be made for Accreditation by a pre-registration programme already running or one for which Accreditation has previously expired. However, only new learners entering in the academic year following Accreditation being awarded can be classified as having completed an RCOT-Accredited and WFOT-approved pre-registration programme.

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For advice on all aspects of the Accreditation Process and ongoing quality monitoring for pre-registration programmes, please email QA@rcot.co.uk.

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