Connect with our invited speakers to debate the things that matter
At # RCOT2024 you ’ ll be able to join our invited health and social care speakers , select members , and industry and professional advisers , across our plenary and ‘ Powered by RCOT ’ sessions .
RCOT Chief Executive Steve Ford , Samantha Shann , President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists ( WFOT ), Ritchard Ledgerd , WFOT Executive Director , and Karin Orman , RCOT Director of Practice and Innovation , will kick off the two days with a plenary session that will look at the future of the global occupational therapy workforce .
Also taking a horizon-scanning view , Practice and Innovation Leads from RCOT , alongside Dr Kim Stuart , Chris Lovegrove , Amy Daniels and Thomas Williams , will give their views on what the occupational therapy profession should look like in 2035 .
Other plenary sessions will focus on system wide leadership – investigating how and where occupational therapy should be influencing decision making on workforce positioning and impact – and challenging assumptions about future ways of working .
Professor Michael Rowe , Associate Professor ( Digital Innovation in Health and Social Care ), at University of Lincoln , will talk about the use of artificial intelligence ( AI ) in education and research , while sharing his ‘ top tips ’ for general use of AI in health and social care .
Under the theme of ‘ Occupational therapy ’ s role in addressing health inequity ’, there will be a talk on the Adult Social Care Strategy and our role in social care , while at the end of the second day Steve Ford will deliver the closing plenary session .
In the RCOT-led sessions , Angela Payne , Ann Underhill and Hannah Spencer , from the University of Derby , will present their session , titled ‘ Occupational therapy education : developing digital literacy skills through webpage design ’.
They are joined by Carolyn Hay , RCOT Head of Education , and Anna Clampin , RCOT Education Enhancement Manager , to discuss why this work is important in the education of future OTs and how it is supporting the transition to practice .
One year on from the launch of RCOT ’ s occupational therapy and play practice guideline , we ’ ll hear from OTs where the guidelines have been used in practice , including any audits that have been carried out using the audit tool .
And under the theme of the future of the occupational therapy workforce , we ’ ll hear all about Brave AI , which is revolutionising primary care in Somerset and elevating OTs as leaders .
It ’ s providing personalised , proactive care for older adults and freeing occupational therapy creativity and voice . We ’ ll hear their story and find out how place-based care , systems leadership and applying AI to population health data , could shape the future of health in the UK . On the topic of technology enabled care , we ’ ll hear how it has the potential to be used far more widely within our profession to transform how we work and the lives of people we work with , their families and carers .
Join the discussion session to hear views from leaders in the use of AI , robotics , apps , technology in practice , research and education and open your mind to the possibilities .
While a presentation on artificial intelligence within spinal cord injury rehabilitation will explore and critically analyse the prospective use of AI within spinal cord injury rehabilitation and how it impacts occupational therapy practice .
There ’ s also an insight into current work at Coventry University that ’ s helping to create the next generation of virtual patients , to help teach the OTs and healthcare workers of the future .
Other sessions will focus on the role of occupational therapists in public health – acknowledging the barriers but focusing on the opportunities , so that OTs are able to recognise and build on their public health role and practice .
Explore more as the full programme is published at www . rcot . co . uk / annual-conference .
Annual Conference Preview 2024