Workforce
A new report from RCOT has found a lack of capacity in health and care systems is driving a huge increase in demand for occupational therapy . Here we look at the results in more detail and hear about some of the projects RCOT is involved in to help address these workforce challenges .
Workforce
Feature
Occupational therapy : a profession under pressure ?
A new report from RCOT has found a lack of capacity in health and care systems is driving a huge increase in demand for occupational therapy . Here we look at the results in more detail and hear about some of the projects RCOT is involved in to help address these workforce challenges .
A newly-published report from RCOT , Occupational therapy under pressure : Workforce survey findings 2022 – 2023 , has shown that almost nine in 10 ( 86 %) occupational therapists reported an increase in demand for their services between November 2021 and November 2022 .
Four in five ( 79 %) occupational therapists believe this increase in demand is because of a lack of capacity elsewhere in the health and care system . The same number felt that people ’ s needs are becoming more complex because of delays to care and treatment , resulting in an increased need for occupational therapy input .
According to the report – which looked at responses from over 2,600 occupational therapists throughout the UK about the state of the workforce – other reasons for increased demand in occupational therapy services include :
• People accessing services experiencing deterioration in occupational performance because of delayed intervention ( 66 %).
• People accessing services having increased mental health needs ( 54 %).
• Lack of availability of carers ( 52 %).
• A broader range of referrals being received ( 42 %).
In addition , almost four in five ( 78 %) of those surveyed said their team wasn ’ t big enough to meet demand , and more than half ( 55 %) said that long-standing recruitment issues meant the services they were providing weren ’ t meeting people ’ s needs .
This is creating a huge amount of pressure for occupational therapists and other staff in multidisciplinary teams in all settings , such as hospitals and care homes .
Almost seven in 10 ( 68 %) said they felt under too much pressure at work , while just under twothirds ( 63 %) said they were too busy to provide the level of care they would like .
For some , staff shortages were resulting in long waiting lists , with more than 100 respondents saying that people were waiting over 12 months to access their service .
Over a third said they intend to leave their role within the next two years , while of those people , just under half ( 48 %) cited work-related stress as a reason for leaving . One respondent even went as far as saying that ‘ services are unsafe and will collapse ’.
Another respondent said : ‘ Our profession can offer so much to patients and yet we are continually having to compromise on care , due to lack of staff and poorly staffed teams , due
12 OTnews May 2023