FOCUS ON
Positioning the profession for the future
Steve Ford tells OTnews why he ’ s excited about RCOT launching a new brand , strategy and values in the new year , and how he hopes it will shape the future of the organisation and occupational therapy profession
When Steve Ford joined RCOT as chief executive back in April this year , he pledged to ‘ hear , to listen and to understand ’ ( OTnews , April 2021 , pages 14 to 15 ).
Immediately recognising the value of the profession , he said from the outset that what he hoped to bring was ‘ strategic leadership to support the occupational therapy community ’. And in that first interview with him , we learned that he had already been tentatively thinking about some future aspirations for both the professional body and the profession .
He told readers : ‘ I ’ ve got a plan to do a whole range of things when I start , that I ’ m really looking forward to . But I think it ’ s clear to me from the start that , one , health and social care services are under pressure and changing , and need to change , and two , that there are some fantastic services and skills that occupational therapists possess that are going to be increasingly in demand . And so how do we maximise the potential of that ?’
Having set out his priority to gain a deeper insight into the profession , the opportunities and challenges it presents , and to build on his understanding of what it ’ s like to be an occupational therapist , he embarked on a # TalktoSteve campaign , setting the target of having conversations with 100 people in as many days .
Over eight months on , Steve has , in his own words , ‘ kept the momentum going – and will keep going ’, holding over 200 # TalktoSteve conversations so far , and we were keen to find out what some of the consistent messages he has been hearing are , and how this insight has been used to create a set of possible strategic themes to provide a broad future direction for RCOT .
‘ There is a real sense that now is the time for occupational therapy ,’ he says . ’ People talked a lot about being optimistic about the future , while recognising that RCOT needs to step up to position the profession for the future .’
He adds : ‘ I want us to become an organisation that not just represents the profession , but one that leads , with a stronger voice . I want us to be a more forward-looking organisation , which is proudly and boldly inclusive , welcoming new generations of occupational therapists and truly reflecting our diverse society .’
When it comes to membership of the organisation , Steve says the conversations highlighted that not everybody was always clear on our offer . ‘ You want to get real value from your membership and to feel proud of your professional body ,’ he says . ‘ You want to feel part of a vibrant professional community and that you are increasingly using your skills to solve society ’ s problems .’
Having shared some proposed themes with members at Annual Conference in June – to a ‘ really heartening response ’ – all members were invited to
© Nick Ridley Photography
16 OTnews December 2021