In a letter to Boris Johnson last month , the trade unions warned the Prime Minister that the second COVID-19 wave ‘ is already placing hospitals under immense strain ’. It also said that staff are ‘ stressed , burned out and fearful ’ and that asking them to ‘ carry on regardless ’ is ‘ increasingly unrealistic ’.
Members are encouraged to visit the joint union campaign website (
www . withnhsstaff . org ) to find out more about how you can get involved in supporting the campaign , write to your MP , make use of the campaign materials , and promote the messages via social media .
Then , on page seven , RCOT chief executive Julia Scott pens her final annual ‘ end of year message ’ to members , after 15 years in post , before she moves on from the organisation in the New Year . Reflecting on the 38 years since she proudly donned her new uniform as a newly qualified occupational therapist , Julia reflects on what the profession has meant to her and thanks everyone – as ‘ the life blood of the organisation ’ – for your long-standing loyalty to the Royal College .
Our cover feature this month comes from Jessica Singleton and Emily Hewitt , who reflect on the joint occupational therapy and physiotherapy response to the COVID-19 pandemic at King ’ s College Hospital NHS Trust .
editor ’ s comment
We have been avidly following all the innovative and creative ways that you , as occupational therapists , have been dealing with the impact of the pandemic throughout 2020 with redeployment and new ways of working . Here , we see how therapists at King ’ s College Hospital were faced with the opportunity to help set up a new Hospital to Home ward , with support of the transformation team . Turn to page 22 to find out more .
In a further example of joint working , on page 20 , physiotherapist Mark Adams and occupational therapist Kerry Tobin talk about the success of collaborative working as part of Leicester City Council ’ s Health Transfers Team . Although the two professionals have previously worked jointly in the health setting successfully , this was a new initiative for the local authority .
Then , starting on page 29 , Inga Davidson and Kathrin Crawshaw-Zein report on the development of the new West Lothian community wellbeing hubs , while on page 34 , Fiona Taylor and Peter Bampton- Clare explain how the development of a caseload weighting tool has reduced waiting times and given staff more ‘ time to care ’ in Buckinghamshire .
Of course , last month saw occupational therapists across the UK celebrate Occupational Therapy Week , so in this issue I take a look at RCOT ’ s # ChooseOT careers campaign , launched during the week , and talk to three occupational therapists about what inspired them to join the profession , and how they have been sharing their love for the profession with students from local schools and colleges . Turn to page 14 to find out more .
Tracey Samuels , Editor
If you have any feedback about this issue of OTnews , or would like to contribute a short article or feature for a future publication , please email me at : editorial @ rcot . co . uk