Our first Workforce Strategy action plan for England has been released

• We will support occupational therapy practitioners to be changemakers, using their skills and knowledge to lead and co-design innovative products, interventions and services that improve people’s lives and wellbeing.
• We will champion innovative service delivery models that improve access to occupational therapy and achieve health equity for all.

• We will build our real-world and research evidence for occupational therapy to justify investment in the occupational therapy workforce by quantifying the impact.
• We will work with our leaders to put the case for how and where to deploy our expertise to add the most value for people and their families, the wider health and care system and to avoid critical shortages within the OT workforce.

• We will support and promote the development of all occupational therapy practitioners, especially those from historically marginalised and under-represented communities, to be where they want to be at each stage in their career.
• We will build our profession’s capacity, confidence and capability to incorporate leadership, learning, research and innovation into practice.

• We will empower the OT workforce to contribute to, access and use the workforce planning data and intelligence available to them.
• We will empower the occupational therapy workforce to use the data and intelligence to make informed decisions about their positioning within the health and care system.

Complicated referral processes and a lack of understanding about what occupational therapy is, makes it difficult for people to access the support they need. 

In July 2024, 8,957 adults and 19,070 children and young people were waiting to see an occupational therapist in the community (outside of hospitals). 

While community health services play a critical role in helping people live independently, they account for just 13% of daily NHS activity. 

The average annual leaver rate is 8%, higher than the 6.9% among other allied health professionals. 

This rate differs depending on specialism, employer type and location. 

This happens when systems use occupational therapists to fill gaps in services, rather than make use of their skills. This leads to dissatisfaction and eroding of professional identity and confidence. 

83% of occupational therapists employed by NHS England are white and 90% identify as a woman. The 12-month rolling turnover for international occupational therapists in June 2024 was 19.8% compared with 12.8% for domestic. These figures are consistent with those working in social care.