OT Week 2026: 'Participation Changes Everything'
2026 Occupational Therapy Week begins
As the recognised experts in helping people take part in everyday activities whilst living with disability, after illness, trauma or an accident, the UK’s 48,000 occupational therapists are this week (2–9 November) celebrating the success of this increasingly important branch of healthcare.
With the NHS under extreme pressure, there is increasing recognition by Government that participation is fundamental to health, wellbeing and the quality of life. Occupational therapy delivers practical, person-centred solutions that help people overcome barriers to participation, often at a fraction of the cost of more medicalised approaches. By addressing challenges early and enabling people to participate in everyday life, occupational therapists help prevent escalating need and reduce pressure on health and care services. Demand for this historically under-valued profession is growing as governments, employers and health services increasingly recognise the importance of participation to health, wellbeing and quality of life.
The ‘participation concept’ applies to people of all ages, from the very young to those at the end of their lives. Occupational therapists focus on ensuring support works around people's lives, not around the services they use. This might mean working with a child who is avoiding school, supporting a working-age person who is struggling to stay in work, training or education, or helping someone rebuild their life after a stroke.
Karin Orman, Director of Practice, Innovation and Advocacy said:
‘Occupational therapists hold the key not just to helping people participate and therefore lead fuller lives, but also to taking pressure of other health and care services. Occupational therapy works because we build relationships with the people we support. We take the time to understand what matters to them and develop practical solutions that enable them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
We use our expertise to break down barriers to participation. That might mean helping someone who is experiencing panic attacks feel confident travelling on the bus to work again, supporting a child who finds getting dressed difficult to develop the skills needed to do it independently, or enabling a frail older person to safely return to cooking after a fall. Participation is fundamental to health and wellbeing, and occupational therapists are uniquely skilled in helping people achieve it.’
TV presenter, Dr Hilary Jones MBE said:
‘Occupational therapists are vital because they give people the skills and the confidence to regain their independence, they can lift people out of depression or anxiety they can recommend adaptations or assistive equipment, they can help children with developmental differences to play to learn to develop skills and build relationships.’
OT week, runs from 2 November to 9 November 2026
#ParticipationChangesEverything
ENDS
For more information and interviews, please contact:
Thea Healy, Associate Director for Advocacy and Communications, on [email protected].
Notes to editor:
About the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) is the UK’s professional membership body for occupational therapy. We lead, uphold and advance excellence within the profession through research, the development and delivery of evidence-based standards and guidance, the provision of professional development, and the accreditation and enhancement of education.
Occupational therapists see beyond diagnoses and limitations to hopes and aspirations. They look at relationships between the activities you do every day – your occupations – alongside your illness or disability and your environment to recommend adjustments. These are practical, realistic and personal to you, to help you achieve the breakthroughs you need to elevate your everyday life.
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