This month , RCOT held its annual Celebration of Excellence in Occupational Therapy Awards , and here we profile the members who were honoured in 2022 .
A fter a three-year hiatus , due to the pandemic , RCOT held its Celebration of Excellence in Occupational Therapy Awards on 2 November , in London , to honour all the award winners of 2020 , 2021 and 2022 .
Welcoming the invited guests , Chair of Council Odeth Richardson said ‘ Today is very special . It ’ s special , not just because we ’ re here to celebrate the achievements of 21 Fellowship and Merit Award winners , as well as the recipients of RCOT ’ s Annual Awards and Research Foundation grants and awards , but also , because it ’ s the first time in three years we ’ ve been able to be together and celebrate in person , and my first awards event as Chair of Council .’
Council members Carmel Harney , Council member – Northern Ireland , and Paul Dunning , Council member – Wales , joined Odeth and Steve Ford , RCOT Chief Executive , to present the award recipients with their certificates .
In closing the event , Steve thanked everyone who attended , and added : ‘ As occupational therapists , you help people elevate everyday life . Whether that ’ s by finding ingenious ways to help someone do what they love or by carrying out valuable research .
‘ Our role is to support you at every step , so that you can achieve your own breakthroughs – and to take the time to celebrate them , as we have today .’
Reflecting on RCOT ’ s new brand , strategy and values , he went on : ‘ As we move forward together , we know this is the time to show the world the true power of what we do . And we know we can do this .
‘ To reach our ambitious goals , we must improve and change how we work to become a more forward-looking organisation , ready for the challenges of the 21st century . We will be the advocate and champion that occupational therapists deserve , sharing and celebrating the lifechanging outcomes they help to achieve for people and society .
‘ We will boldly lead the profession forward with a stronger voice than ever before .
‘ We will be proudly and actively inclusive – welcoming and supporting new generations of occupational therapists to join the profession so we reflect the diverse society that we represent and work with .
‘ I look forward to having many more opportunities to celebrate with you as we work together to ensure that one day people everywhere value the life-changing power of occupational therapy .’
Our role is to support you at every step , so that you can achieve your own breakthroughs – and to take the time to celebrate them , as we have today .”
52 OTnews November 2022