Royal College of Occupational Therapists announces partnership with Lilli
'Helping occupational therapy get ready for the future.'
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) has announced Lilli, leaders in home care monitoring technology, as its first ever gold partner. The partnership aims to support occupational therapists to get ready for the future and move towards using technology for more proactive care.
RCOT is the professional body for the occupational therapy workforce and Lilli empowers people to live independently for longer through proactive lifestyle monitoring.
In working together, both organisations hope to raise awareness of the important role technology plays in occupational therapy practice, including for crisis prevention and early intervention, and to equip occupational therapists with the skills and confidence they need to use it effectively.
The organisations will work together to engage policymakers and funders, advocating for greater investment in occupational therapy-led technology initiatives and highlighting the benefits of early intervention. The partnership will also support the trial and evaluation of new technologies in real-world occupational therapy settings to understand their impact and potential.
With the recently published 10-year health plan’s focus on delivering more care at home, this partnership will support the ambition to support people to get the care they need quickly, within their communities, preventing health decline.
The partnership will include an event series and research to help occupational therapists understand the role of technology in their work and how it can better support them. The organisations will also collaborate to create new resources, briefings and training materials.
Clare Cochrane, Director of Brand and Marketing at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, says:
This is a really exciting opportunity to support our members to become more confident using technology as part of their day-to-day practice. The work that Lilli is doing aligns with our workforce strategy, which includes reviewing the use of tech-enabled care within occupational therapy. We’re looking forward to working together to raise awareness, influence policy, and provide practical tools and learning for our members. The partnership values early intervention, supports innovation and places occupational therapy at the heart of effective, person-centred interventions.’
Kelly Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of Lilli, says:
Occupational therapists provide life-changing value to the people they support and the whole health and care system. But as demand and resource pressures grow across health and care, it’s critical they get the right tools and technology to continue to be able to provide this essential care. At Lilli, we have seen the significant human and economic benefits of using home monitoring technology to identify early signs of health decline and support independent living and so we are delighted to now be bringing together our shared expertise and insight with RCOT to explore how technology can meaningfully enhance the future of OT-led care.’
Occupational therapists support people to prioritise their health and wellbeing to live healthier for longer, with a uniquely dual focus on both mental and physical health. Occupational therapy plays a vital role in health, social care and society. It enables people to have fulfilling lives at home, at work, at school, and everywhere else, through meaningful occupations – any activity that supports physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Occupational therapists consider all aspects of an individual and their environments and work with them to create a plan to reach their goals.
Lilli helps people to live safely and independently at home for longer. The home monitoring technology works by discreetly tracking patterns of behaviour and key indicators of health, such as movement, eating and bathroom activity, to understand someone’s routine and alerting professionals to any changes. This allows professionals to safely monitor people’s health at home remotely, while being on the front foot to proactively spot health decline - for instance if someone is moving or eating less, or their home is too cold. The insights can also help with accurate assessments and understanding if a change in support is required over time.
Occupational therapists are encouraged to get involved with the forthcoming research and to find out more about how assistive technologies can support their work.
To find out more about what an occupational therapist does, or to find a registered occupational therapist, visit rcot.co.uk.
For more information about Lilli, visit intelligentlilli.com.