RCOT Professional standards and ethics
29 January, 2021
(1.16mb)
7+ minute read
Professional standards and ethics
The Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics sets out the essential practice, behaviours and values RCOT expects of its members.
For the first time, the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice have been combined into one document.
The Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics defines an agreed set of ethical principles and standard statements that guide the work of the occupational therapy workforce. The Standards apply to all RCOT members wherever they work, whatever the scope, in any role and at every career level.
Maintaining these standards will enable the occupational therapists to be safe, effective and ethical practitioners providing a high-quality and inclusive service. They will also help members to meet the registration requirements of their regulatory body - the Health and Care Professions Council.
The standards will enable occupational therapy staff to monitor and improve their service. The audit tools can be used to structure individual or team CPD activity to inform, develop and re-evaluate practice.
Download the standards and audit forms
The standards are available in English and Welsh.
Principles for continuing development and lifelong learning in health and social care (2022)
Members should use the Principles for continuing development and lifelong learning in health and social care to guide their lifelong learning activity.
2022-joint-principles-for-cpd-and-lifelong-learning.pdf (PDF, 1.16MB)
NICE Quality Standards
The NICE Quality Standards define what quality care in England should look like across a particular clinical area or pathway.
They are sets of specific, concise statements derived from the best available evidence and their purpose is to act as benchmarks of high-quality health and social care.