Occupational Therapy News OTnews November 2019 | Page 23

LEADERSHIP FEATURE
but they are struggling to influence and project their voice through
the layers of operational management.
Turner and Knight (2015) describe how a lack of strong
professional identity among occupational therapists can lead to a
lack of ability to think strategically and be over influenced by other
professionals, leading to feeling professionally undervalued. I have
witnessed occupational therapists feeling powerless, despondent
and frustrated and sadly this has led to occupational therapists
leaving the profession.
With professional leadership comes great responsibility, therefore
my challenge was to inspire and motivate this group of occupational
therapists setting out to pioneer new frontiers of practice.
I personally want to see occupational therapy leaders and
managers that are passionate about the profession and understand
the role of professional leadership and I was hoping to inspire this
group of occupational therapists to become future professional
leaders with a strong professional identity.
So, after a great deal of thought I distilled my ‘day in the life’ talk to For example, sharing with employees what the NHS plan means for
occupational therapy practice and informing organisational strategies
on how clinical practice needs to respond, adapt and reflect policy
change.
Entry into the profession starts with students, so professional
leads need to ensure that the student experience is exemplar in order
to future proof the workforce pipeline.
six important roles of professional leaders. hearings and liaising with the Health and Care Professions Council
over professional issues.
As head occupational therapist, I provided support for
occupational therapists that were managed by other disciplines and
liaised with the RCOT professional practice team.
Part of my role was to assess risk, support operational managers
with governance matters, ensure learning was shared and to keep
abreast of policy and practice.
Level nine of the Career Development Framework, Professional
Practice Pillar, describes a need to think critically and reflect when
making professional judgements, including those in the most
complex and unpredictable contexts (RCOT 2017).
In my experience, it is important to lead with a strong sense of
identity, provide advice on professional scope of practice and ensure
preceptors receive career development on professional identity and
professional behaviours.
Role one: principle representative and senior leader
Professional leadership is about setting the strategic direction
for the profession and inspiring a strategic vision for professional
development that ignites passion in the workforce.
The RCOT Career Development Framework, Professional Practice
Pillar, level eight, describes a strategic leader; political influencer and
original thinker (RCOT 2017).
A big part of the head occupational therapist role is to make sure
that the occupational therapy voice and its contribution is heard.
As the principle representative, you can influence strategically at
an executive level, be a role model for the profession and promote
where occupational therapists can add value.
This involves networking nationally and regionally, with local health,
social care and third sector organisations and across organisational
boundaries in a system leadership approach.
Role two: develop clinical practice
It is the head occupational therapist’s responsibility to keep abreast
of research, policy, national agendas and service developments,
looking at their applicability to clinical practice. This includes horizon
scanning, forecasting and a little crystal ball gazing, exploring new
frontiers and boldly leading where ‘occupational therapy has not
been before’.
To do this, occupational therapy leaders need to be
entrepreneurial and opportunistic in developing and testing new roles
that facilitate emerging practice. It is also important to have your feet
firmly on the ground, maintaining clinical skills, keeping in touch with
everyday practice and fostering strong links with universities to inform
future workforce development.
Getting the uniform on and working alongside your teams feels
like a luxury at times, but this is vitally important for understanding
current challenges and for credibility as a professional leader.
Professional leads can translate national policy into local contexts.
Role three: ultimate accountability
As head occupational therapist you are ultimately accountable for
quality assurance and clinical practice.
This includes: overseeing and driving audit, research and service
improvement alongside the clinical teams; ensuring the direction of
travel fits with professional practice guidance, and setting standards
for professionalism and developing local guidelines; reviewing all
serious complaints, particularly those with a professional element,
meeting with complainants and representing the profession in a
coroner’s court; and presiding over misconduct and capability
Role four: coach and mentor
The head occupational therapist role is also about developing future
leaders, mentoring and spotting talent and encouraging others to
development leadership skills.
The head occupational therapist provides advice, consults
and contributes, leads and shapes to influence and represent the
profession, setting the tone, culture and environment for future
leaders to survive and thrive.
I really enjoy talent development. Providing supervision,
mentorship and coaching and perhaps a smidgen of teaching,
getting out and about, delivering talks, presentations and promoting
the profession. Guiding returners to the profession, empowering
future leaders and ensuring that there is succession planning.
Role five: promote the profession and raise the profile
of AHPs
The head occupational therapist promotes the role of occupational
therapists nationally, regionally and locally, overseeing their interests
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