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RCOT and HEE join forces for workforce reform
As the year-long RCOT and HEE project draws to a close , we look at the progress made and new resources produced in each workstream .
L ast July , RCOT and Health Education England ( HEE ) joined forces to deliver a year-long Allied Health Professionals ( AHP ) Workforce Reform project , which set out to identify ways to increase the number of occupational therapists working in health and social care .
The pre-pandemic NHS People Plan workforce planning illustrated that a minimum of 27,000 additional allied health professionals ( AHPs ) will be needed by 2024 to meet future AHP workforce demand . This requires specific attention to AHP workforce planning at system level ( www . e-lfh . org . uk / stakeholder-briefing-issue-40 ).
AHPs are the third largest clinical workforce in the NHS , and one of the most cost-effective workforces to train . AHPs graduate as regulated , clinically autonomous practitioners with a highly developed scope of practice .
The RCOT / HEE joint project , which has several separate workstreams , is now drawing to a close and here we share the progress made for each one . The learning is for all four nations .
Neonatal
The aim of the neonatal project was to develop a blended learning programme for occupational therapists working in neonatal care at an enhanced level of practice . It builds on the elearning programme for foundation level therapists launched in 2022 .
In response to a training needs analysis , members of the RCOT Neonatal Clinical Forum , supported by RCOT Professional Adviser Sally Payne , developed a series of four webinars and piloted a one-day in-person workshop .
The webinars are now available on the RCOT website and links will be included , along with other resources , on a neonatal AHP shared learning platform , which will be launched later this year .
Multiprofessional approved clinician
RCOT has been working with occupational therapy leaders , clinicians , students and educators to produce a new suite of resources designed to encourage more of the profession to become approved clinicians under the Mental Health Act in England and Wales .
Mental health , learning disability and autism innovation
Innovation that drives improvement is a key focus for a new collection of nine case studies now live on the RCOT website . We interviewed occupational therapists who are leading the way to improve and transform services and asked them about their journeys , how they demonstrate impact and their top tips for growing innovation .
Primary care evaluation
In collaboration with Rocket Science , RCOT has been working across three sites in England , Wales and Scotland to collect data about the impact of the profession in GP surgeries . Using a mixture of qualitative interviews with stakeholders , outcome measures and process data , we have a deep dive into the difference we can make in primary care .
Return to practice
Rachael Harrison completed a supervised practice placement internship with RCOT , which ran from 7 November 2022 to 26 January 2023 . Rachel has now successfully re-registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as an OT .
We have also recorded two webinars – one for managers and supervisors and a second for returners . The return to practice webpage and resources – including blogs , webinars and handbooks – have been updated , alongside the production of three return to practice handbooks , for returners , supervisors and placement providers .
Portfolio careers
We ’ ve produced a number of case studies of occupational therapists who have a portfolio career – while this can refer to having multiple part-time jobs , many also see it as simply having diversity in working , or multiple income streams . But ultimately , portfolio working allows control , preference and flexibility over who you work with and the influence you can have .
58 OTnews May 2023