“There shall be a Scottish Parliament. Through long years, those words were first a hope, then a belief, then a promise. Now they are a reality.” Donald Dewar, the first First Minister of Scotland
In May 2021, Scotland is due to vote for MSPs to represent our interests in Holyrood, and we have an opportunity to influence future decisions and policy depending on how we place our vote. The Scottish Parliament is historically young and many MSPs in Scotland had jobs before they moved into politics: occupational therapists, teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, lawyers. They chose to move into a political career because they wanted to make a difference.
The non-traditional Parliament building was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles. On its opening in 2004, poet Edwin Morgan wrote:
“We have a building which is more than a building…a commerce between inner and outer…between the world and those who think about the world.”
So, are you a person who, as the poem says, thinks about the world?
Have you thought about how the political landscape impacts on your work? Does it impact on clinical priorities, the reports you submit, or the money allocated to run services or on patient care? The answer to all of these is yes.
Far from being remote and dull, decisions made in Holyrood directly shape our day-to-day work. The Scottish Election this May is an excellent opportunity for us to have our say, be heard and advocate for those who use our services.
We have worked with members and our Scottish Board to develop a Scottish manifesto, which reflects the needs and priorities of occupational therapy in Scotland, and how the new government can best support them. This is your chance to show others what we do and how we make a difference to the lives of people in Scotland, regardless of your political persuasion.
We need the help of occupational therapists across Scotland to encourage support for our manifesto among Scottish Parliamentary candidates. We need to be confident about sharing our message, demonstrating where we make a difference and suggesting solutions to policy problems. We need to show others our value to service users, the community and the whole of Scotland.
We encourage occupational therapists across Scotland to join us in calling for a new Scottish government that puts occupational therapy first and to rebuild the nation’s health and care sectors. Our manifesto lays out four key asks which suggest practical ways this can be achieved.
You can get involved by:
- downloading our manifesto and sharing it on social media, calling on your Parliamentary candidates to support our key asks;
- writing to your candidates and sharing the manifesto with them directly, asking them to support the RCOT key asks this campaigning season; and
- sharing your occupational therapy story on social media, encouraging others to vote for occupational therapy services in order to rebuild the health and care sectors.
We know it’s the real people and the real stories at the heart of occupational therapy that makes it such a rewarding profession. By sharing your experience, we can help our candidates understand the value of occupational therapy. What is your message and what is your story? The more voices we have, the louder our message is.
By supporting us to engage in political influencing, you will help raise the profile of occupational therapy in Scotland and help others understand how essential occupational therapy is to individuals, communities and the nation.
You will find a template letter and social media posts in our resource pack, along with our Scottish manifesto, to help you reach out to your local candidates.