Occupational Therapy News June 2020 | Page 33

REHABILITATION FEATURE
The rehabilitation picture across Scotland
‘Rehabilitation is patchy across Scotland, just as it is
across the UK,’ says Alison Keir, RCOT policy officer
for Scotland. ‘How long people wait and what people
get is not consistent across the country. And how
services are delivered is also different because of the
geography; different areas do different things to meet
people’s needs in different ways.’
Scotland’s new chief allied health professions
officer Carolyn McDonald has been tasked with
setting up a rehabilitation working group for
Scotland, looking at what is next for the field during
and after COVID-19.
RCOT will be engaging with the work as it
continues its Right to Rehabilitation campaign to
ensure that everyone gets community rehabilitation
when and where they need it.
She said: ‘The coronavirus pandemic has many
dark sides for us in our roles as health and care staff
and in our personal lives as it triggers our fears and
uncertainties.
‘But there have been terrific examples of new
ways of working as we have had to break through
rigid systems to act swiftly and now there is a strong
stimulus to innovate our contribution as allied health
professionals to the rehabilitation agenda.
‘Many people who have had the virus and those
who have been impacted as a consequence of the
lockdown and switching off of non-critical services
will need our help. As occupational therapists with
your dual training in physical and mental health and
work across the health and social care spectrum,
your role is vital.
‘You are also excellent community connectors
and working with our partners in the third sector to
support people will continue to be crucial.
‘Within the Scottish Government I have been
asked to lead the work on rehabilitation and have
reached out to a range of key stakeholders across
practice, the professional bodies and academic
institutions to help shape the refresh of the
rehabilitation agenda.
‘This is an exciting opportunity for allied health
professionals with a razor sharp focus and visionary
leadership to drive this agenda forward with empathy
and compassion. I am excited not just about the
work in Scotland, but also to hear what is going on
around the UK.’
For more on rehabilitation, visit: www.rcot.co.uk/
rehabilitation
©GettyImages/deimagine
OTnews June 2020 17