Welcome to the December issue of OTnews!
After a fantastic November, with occupational therapists across the UK celebrating Occupational Therapy Week and the launch of our Workforce Strategy action plan – England (more of that later!) it’s hard to believe that this is the last issue of the year.
In this issue:
Occupational Therapy Week:
Workforce Survey: As the end of 2024 rolls around and thoughts inevitably turn to the future, you might be thinking ‘What would I like to change in 2025?’ If so, there’s still time to complete our vital Workforce Survey. It'll take less than 20 mins to help us build a picture of the experiences and issues affecting everyone in the occupational therapy workforce. . (Page 8)
Workforce Strategy Action Plan: Joe Brunwin talks about our Workforce Strategy action plan for England and our 12-month ‘Power of occupational therapy’ campaign, while sharing news of some recent profile-raising successes. (pages 16 - 17)
Social media campaign resources: We want to help you tell the story of occupational therapy and become advocates and changemakers on social media, in communities and beyond, and our campaign resources are there to support you.
Facilitating work opportunities for people with Long Covid: Jenny Ceolta-Smith, Amy Parkin and Laura Maloney draw on their own lived experience, political advocacy, research backgrounds and clinical practice, to review how OTs can facilitate work opportunities for people with Long Covid, through the New Style Employment Support Allowance permitted work options. (Pages 20-23)
Occupational therapy early intervention: Gemma Murray writes about how an occupational therapy-led initiative in NHS Ayrshire and Arran is offering early intervention in a number of GP practices across the region, helping to improve people’s wellbeing and quality of life. (Pages 28-30)
That’s just a taste of what’s inside. We also focus on occupational therapy in occupational health (pages 31-33), your OT Week activities (pages 12-14), two reports from the first Occupational Therapy Europe congress (pages 46-49), and much more!
Read on to discover these stories and more in this issue.
Get featured in OTnews!
Share your story, service development, improvement journey or practice placement experience by contacting Tracey Samuels, our Editorial and Design Manager, at editorial@rcot.co.uk.