NEWS
Celebrating Black History Month
October is Black History Month in the UK , and the national celebration aims to promote and celebrate the contributions of Black people not just in the UK , but globally , and to educate everyone on Black history .
Now in its 34th year , it ’ s expected that there will be hundreds of events taking place across the country throughout the month ( www . blackhistorymonth . org . uk ).
On Wednesday 27 October 2021 , RCOT is looking forward to presenting the first of our EDI Insights sessions with experts and colleagues looking at equality , diversity , and inclusion , and how we can learn from it .
We will hear from Wayne Reid , professional officer , social worker and anti-racism visionary for BASW England , who will share his insight session on anti-racism in social work . Wayne has over 20 years of experience in the social care sector and will be talking about anti-racism reforms that can be applied not only in social work , but across all allied health professions .
In the insight session Wayne will cover his own social work background , George Floyd ’ s murder , Black Lives Matter and why it is relevant to social work , barriers to antiracism in social work and organisational responses and implementing antiracism reforms in social work . There will also be a short time for questions .
This event is open to RCOT members only and will be recorded and posted on our website so it can be accessed at any time .
While the presentation is titled ‘ Anti-racism in social work ’, the content is universal , relevant and applicable to all allied health professions , including occupational therapists .
The virtual event will be hosted on Zoom on Wednesday 27 October at 9.30am to 10.45am . For more information about this free event and to book your place visit : https :// bit . ly / 3oCq1Zb .
Also , as part of Black History Month and our ongoing work to make RCOT and the occupational therapy community a more inclusive place for Black individuals , you can hear from Kalimah Ibrahiim , RCOT Council Member for England , about celebrating her heritage , her work and inclusion in a post on our website : www . rcot . co . uk / news / black-history-month-2021- kalimah-ibrahiim .
© Oleksandra Klestova via GettyImages
Occupational therapy and direct action
For any occupational therapists interested in further reading , last month saw the publication of The anti-racist social worker : stories of activism in social care and allied health professionals , edited by Tanya Moore and Glory Simango
The book is the story of an anti-racist campaign staged by social workers and allied health professionals , which encourages readers to consider their own possibilities for anti-racist action .
It has a chapter specific to occupational therapy , It ’ s not Black and White : a parallel journey to anti-racist action , written by two occupational therapists , Sherlyn Graham and Catherine Greenlaw .
The chapter shares their own journeys into anti-racist action , from their early backgrounds ,
experiences and assumptions , through starting to think differently and having the conversations that count to make a real difference . The authors call on all occupational therapists to accept the challenge to take action to combat racism .
For more information visit : www . criticalpublishing . com / anti-racist-social-worker
Scotland gets new interim chief nursing officer
Occupational therapists in Scotland may be interested to know that on 4 October , Professor Alex McMahon , previously executive director of nursing , midwifery and allied health professionals for NHS Lothian , has taken over the role of Scotland ’ s chief nursing officer from Professor Amanda Croft , on an interim basis , who has stood down from the role for personal reasons , having been appointed in December 2020 .
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said : ‘ I would like to thank Amanda for all her hard work as chief nursing officer and I am very sorry to see her leave . Since taking up the role she has played a key part in our response to the pandemic , and has brought enormous knowledge and experience to the role . I wish her all the best for the future .
‘ I also welcome Alex McMahon to the role of interim chief nursing officer . With his strong professional background , I am confident he will bring excellent leadership , and help us to continue our work to get the health service back on track after the challenges of the past year .’
Professor McMahon was previously the director of strategic planning , performance and information for NHS Lothian and was chair of the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors ( SEND ) group for four years , working closely with the previous chief nursing officer to shape policy and professional practice .
He qualified as a registered mental health nurse in 1986 , and as a registered general nurse in 1989 , and has worked in the private sector , NHS and Scottish Government . He holds honorary professorships with the University of Stirling and Queen Margaret University .
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