Occupational Therapy News OTnews November 2019 | Page 24

‘‘ FEATURE LEADERSHIP and, importantly, developing effective working relationships with senior leaders, in order to assert influence and represent the profession. This might involve rallying the troops for RCOT’s Occupational Therapy Week and AHP days, running events, speaking at events, or representing the profession in the wider health care roles are gaining momentum (May and Fillingham 2018) and integrated care systems are looking for system leadership and occupational therapy leaders that span organisations, have a population health approach, and work to integrate services across health, social care, physical and mental health settings. So, is this what the band five occupational therapy collective where expecting to hear? A lot of what I did in the secondment was not necessarily visible to the wider workforce; very often working behind the scenes, with a quite determination to influence, disrupt and drive professional practice. Being a visible leader was challenging logistically and perhaps this was why I was asked to share my experiences. The opportunity to reflect on what I had learnt and share my version of professional leadership was affirming and oddly cathartic. It made me realise system. that the work of professional leadership needs to be understand for it to be appreciated and valued, so that head occupational therapy posts do not end up extinct. I have since moved into a new role in the integrated care system, and my advice for professional lead occupational therapists is to explore opportunities for system leadership, go boldly to new frontiers, working across agencies, leading at the coalface of transformation and take occupational therapy to new audiences. This is where the golden nuggets of opportunity are waiting to be discovered. We need to be tenacious, resilient and pioneering in our leadership, so that occupational therapy can grow, thrive and make visible its true value to the health and social care system into the 21st century and beyond. ... my advice for professional lead occupational therapists is to explore opportunities for system leadership, go boldly to new frontiers, working across agencies, leading at the coalface of transformation and take occupational therapy to new audiences. Role six: Promote a culture of quality improvement and evidenced based practice 24 OTnews November 2019 References May R and Fillingham J (2018) Leadership of allied health professions in trusts: what exists and what matters. London; England: Available at: https://improvement.nhs. uk/documents/2904/Leadership_of_AHPs_in_trusts.pdf Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2017) The Career Development Framework: Guiding Principles for Occupational Therapy. London; England: Available at: www.rcot.co.uk/cpd-rcot Turner A and Knight J (2015) A debate on the professional identity of occupational therapists, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(11): 664-673. doi: 10.1177/0308022615601439 Natalie Jones, Accountable Care Partnership Programme Manager/ICS Place Based Workforce Lead Sheffield, Sheffield Accountable Care Partnership, email: [email protected] The head occupational therapist supports translation of knowledge into practice, facilitates a culture of audit, research and service improvement. This might include: navigating the ‘dark art’ of informatics, statistics and data crunching; ensuring standards are implemented, and importantly, keeping up to date your own continuing professional development; and supporting senior occupational therapist and clinical leaders to lead clinical practice and develop teams. These six roles require a toolbox of skills, a positive mental attitude and professional behaviours. It is no mean feat to deliver when the ‘email beast’ is constantly churning and there are days when you need a wizard’s ‘time turner’ to be in two places at once. Often, there never seemed to be enough time to fulfil each role to a satisfactory degree, but it was the most enjoyable, humbling and enlightening opportunity of my career. In the new world of the NHS plan models of service delivery are changing again and there will be even more opportunities for occupational therapist to pioneer emerging roles and advance practice. As integrated care systems develop and services respond with new models of practice, it is clear that occupational therapists will more than likely not be managed by other occupational therapists. This makes the professional leadership role ever more important. I do not think we will see a renaissance of district occupational therapy roles; a new day is dawning and AHP collective leadership is emerging. AHP director