Our plans to reimagine communities together and for our members are starting to take shape. Our vision is to build on the successes and strong legacy of our current communities and transition to our new model where all members can find a place to share, learn and network based on their region, area of practice, career level or professional interest.
Building on the success of our Specialist Sections and Regions
We have a strong legacy of communities at RCOT which have been delivered through our Specialist Sections and regions.
Take our Specialist Section – Children, Young People and Families for example, who used events, clinical fora and research awards to promote high-quality, evidence-based and occupation-focused practice for its members over the years. Or the Specialist Section – Major Health Conditions who promoted service development and research through its three clinical foras, produced an evidence spotlight on rehabilitative palliative care and partnered with organisations including Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Thoracic Society. Our regions have been equally productive, with our Wales region being commended for its approach to collaborating with local universities and championing occupational therapy education in the country.
Over the years, dedicated members have stepped up to volunteer their time, knowledge and expertise to drive forward their specialisms and practice and create opportunities for their peers through the Specialist Sections. We want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made an enormous difference and contribution to RCOT and their profession in this way. We now look forward to continuing to work with our volunteers and members, to build on these incredible successes and create new opportunities to make our communities more relevant and accessible to the professional lives of our wide and diverse membership.
A new model for communities at RCOT
Members have told us they want to explore an area of practice or professional issue, connect and network with others across career levels and with diverse experiences, share resources and access learning and development opportunities. Our new approach will consist of a series of practice, professional and regional networks that we’ll host on RCOT Communities, a new online community engagement platform we are currently piloting and plan to introduce in 2025.
These networks will each have a dedicated space on the platform which is easily accessible for all members, enabling you to find, meet and come together with others with a shared interest and to support your development needs. Using RCOT Communities will mean members can be a part of more than one network at any time enabling you to enjoy and access a wide range of activities and resources tailored to your needs and interests.
We heard the additional fee required to join a Specialist Section before was a barrier so access to the RCOT Communities platform and the networks will be a new member benefit, included in your RCOT membership.
Practice and regional networks
To date, and with our Specialist Section Committees and Chairs we’ve agreed the following practice networks that will be ready for you to engage with when we launch. You’ll see they expand on our previous specialisms to recognise further areas of practice.
| Acute and emergency care | Healthy ageing | Neurological practice |
| Children, young people and families | Inclusive built environments | Oncology |
| Dementia care | Learning disabilities | Palliative and end of life care |
| Frailty | Long-term conditions | Primary care |
| Health and work | Mental health | Social care |
Members will still automatically join a region but these will become Regional networks with there own dedicated space on the platform to connect, collaborate and share resources. We'll also launch two Professional networks, one for Research Connect and one for Independent Practitioners. We're aiming to have a good foundation ready for launch but will continuously refine based on what our members need.
Transitioning to the new communities model
As we prepare for this new member benefit, our previous communities’ model has concluded. If you were a member of a Specialist Section, this additional membership has now come to an end. We know there will be a gap in activity prior to the launch of the new networks and want to reassure you that there will be a dedicated space for you to continue to connect, contribute and network with your peers in the new model. This pause will enable both the team and our volunteers to focus on getting the networks ready for launch.
How to get involved?
We’re excited about what our new approach to communities and RCOT Communities will offer members. We will still rely on the dedication and commitment of volunteers to lead these new networks and to develop relevant and impactful CPD activities. Over the coming months we’ll share more about the new volunteer opportunities available and invite you to get involved.
You can see the latest developments of our Reimagining Communities project and read FAQs here. If you have any further questions please get in touch with the team communities@rcot.co.uk