Baroness Sally Greengross OBE, former President of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, sadly passed away on 23 June, aged 86.
Baroness Greengross was Director General of Age Concern England from 1987 until 2000, where she established many innovative programmes, including the Employment Forum on Age, and was also responsible for building Age Concern Enterprises into a multi-million-pound business.
She was also a crossbench (independent) member of the House of Lords, former Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre UK, and a Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
As RCOT’s President, a position she held for four years from 2008 to 2012, she undertook much ‘behind the scenes’ influencing on our behalf in the House of Lords.
Her role in championing equality for disabled people and reaffirming the importance of the role that occupational therapy plays in providing care for disabled people was greatly appreciated.
Her ability to 'fly the flag’ for our profession, promoting its value in contributing to the health and wellbeing of people with long-term neurological conditions, also helped to raise our profile.
Among other prestigious positions, Baroness Greengross was also Chair of the Advisory Groups for the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing and the New Dynamics of Ageing, Patron of Beginnings, an initiative to encourage the employment of people with disabilities, President of the Pensions Policy Institute and Honorary Vice President of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health.