Introduction / Rationale: As the professional body for the UK (RCOT) we developed a workforce strategy and regional workforce plans. With our members we are building research and real-world evidence to create a momentum for change at a national, regional, and local level to reposition the occupational therapy workforce within the healthcare system.
Objectives: Publish regional workforce plans: Develop actions with our advisory groups to reposition the workforce and prepare occupational therapists and stakeholders for transformational change.
Publish a research and innovation strategy: Foster a culture of curiosity, confidence, capacity, and capability to evidence occupational therapy and its impact.
Develop an innovation hub: Create a platform for showcasing service and workforce transformation.
Reposition the workforce: Work with our members and partners to apply our evidence base to drive change.
Methods / Approach: We convened four regional advisory groups to develop and publish regional action plans. A UK research and innovation strategy and action plan has been developed in consultation with members and stakeholders. We are working with occupational therapy leaders to collect and showcase new workforce and service models with national and local decision makers.
Results / Practice Implications: The workforce strategy aligns with government priorities to position the profession within communities to offer early interventions. By working closely with leaders and stakeholders, we are repositioning the profession, implementing tools to capture learning and impact, and building the evidence base to enable change.
Conclusion / Significance to the Occupational Therapy Profession: As the professional body we are leading on building the evidence and business case for repositioning occupational therapy from predominantly acute crisis care to community public health.