HEALTH EQUITY CAMPAIGN
RCOT ’ s health equity campaign , # OTsForEquity , which calls for the effective deployment of occupational therapy to improve and establish health equity , is continuing well beyond its launch during November ’ s Occupational Therapy Week .
Hundreds of you tuned in to the launch event and to watch the re-screening of Professor Sir Michael Marmot ’ s plenary session from this year ’ s RCOT Annual Conference , where he called on government to ‘ put a fair distribution of health and wellbeing ’ at the heart of its policies .
This was followed by a lively and engaging Q & A session with a live panel with representatives from OTalk and AbleOTUK , the BAMEOT UK and LGBTQIA + OT UK networks , RCOT staff and our chair of council , and the chief allied health professions officer for England .
But the work doesn ’ t stop there . Health equity is all our business and it is an RCOT priority for the coming year . In addition to conversations with regional groups and specialist sections , an Ideas Platform has been created to collect ideas about how we as individuals , the whole profession , the professional body , and governments can address health equity .
Alongside the campaign , RCOT has also published a new report , Roots of recovery : occupational therapy at the heart of health equity .
The report gives examples of where occupational therapy can be organised to effectively address health inequalities . It covers the areas of primary care , housing , children , young people and families , community rehabilitation , community mental health and the criminal justice system .
EQUALITY , DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
The main aim of our Enrichment Programme is to encourage colleagues to adopt behaviours and strategies to improve their mental and physical wellbeing , and at the same time , creating a more connected working environment . As an organisation , we are aiming to give people the opportunity to learn new skills that may improve their mental and physical wellbeing , as well as improve how we engage as colleagues from all nations , and break down silo working .
As part of the national Black History Month celebrations , on Wednesday 27 October , RCOT presented the first of our EDI Insights sessions , with experts and colleagues looking at equality , diversity , and inclusion , and how we can learn from it . Participants heard from Wayne Reid , professional officer , social worker and anti-racism visionary for BASW England .
To shine a spotlight on Black history , staff formed the RCOT Black History Month Journal Club and the RCOT Black History Month Film Club , to start important conversations around race and racism . It was also an opportunity to celebrate Black achievement . A reflection tool was designed so that staff can learn from experiences and inform future actions .
ELIZABETH CASSON MEMORIAL LECTURE 2021
2021 saw not one , but two prestigious Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lectures , due to the ongoing impact of pandemic .
Dr Jenny Preston MBE delivered her postponed 2020 virtual lecture , ‘ Re-engineering truth and certainty in occupational therapy ’ to over 1,900 attendees in April .
Dr Anita Atwal , 2021 Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecturer
Then , over 733 people joined Dr Anita Atwal virtually on Wednesday 10 November , to hear the 2021 lecture , ‘ No barriers to brilliance : social and creative courage to innovate and disrupt occupational therapy practice ’, which was followed by a lively and engaging Q & A session .
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