Representing you and our profession – October 2025

Evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 

Earlier this month, Anya Kennedy, an occupational therapist from NHS Grampian, gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee as part of their inquiry into ADHD and autism (ASD) pathways and support. 

Anya spoke brilliantly about how support should focus on people’s needs and daily lives, not just their diagnosis. She also called for joined-up neurodevelopmental assessments – rather than separate ADHD and autism pathways – and for these to be led by multidisciplinary teams that reflect people’s real experiences. 

She also highlighted the need for:

• better governance of private assessments to make sure they’re consistent and high-quality
• sustainable funding for third-sector services offering vital post-diagnostic support
• national standards and data collection, so people get the right help at the right time. 

Reflecting on the experience, Anya said: 

‘Really loved the overall experience and your colleagues at RCOT and the other panel members were also very supportive and encouraging. I just hope it makes a difference for our patients and their carers!’ 

You can watch the full session here: https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/health-social-care-and-sport-committee-october-7-2025  

I’ll share an update once the inquiry wraps up and recommendations are confirmed. 

Primary Care and Community Health Steering Group 

This group has been meeting regularly since May 2024, bringing together a range of stakeholders and delivery partners with a shared interest in reforming primary care and how it links with community health services.

The group’s role is to advise the Scottish Government on primary care reform as part of the broader health and social care transformation.

At our most recent meeting, the focus was on the upcoming Primary Care Route Map. It’s still in development, but it’s great to see a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary teams within primary care. The Government is aiming to publish the final route map by June 2026.

As you might remember, earlier this year we secured a seat on the National Social Work Agency. This month, we met with key stakeholders to discuss the main challenges facing OTs working in social work teams and how the Agency might help tackle them. 

Some of the big issues raised included:

• recruitment and retention
• training and development
• rising service demand
• increasing procurement costs. 

After identifying these shared challenges alongside our social work colleagues, ROCT member Neil Carnegie and I will keep working with the Agency to address them and continue to raise the profile of OT in social work services. We would like to thank the agency for their support so far.  

This work also ties in with the Chief AHP Officer’s ‘deep dive’ into the Local Authority OT workforce, which we’re supporting. If you’d like to be involved in that project, please get in touch with me at katie.macgregor@rcot.co.uk. 

NHS England has been consulting ahead of the upcoming 10-Year Workforce Plan, using examples from across the profession to show how occupational therapists can support the plan’s ambitions. Our response highlights how OTs are essential in prevention, rehabilitation and community-based care – supporting a flexible, sustainable workforce equipped to meet the changing needs of people and communities. NHS England is expected to analyse consultation feedback over the coming months before publishing the final 10-Year Workforce Plan in early 2026. We’ll continue engaging with officials and sharing evidence from members to ensure occupational therapy is fully reflected in the plan’s final recommendations. 

Early in October we were in Liverpool for the Labour Party Conference 2025, which provided valuable insight into the direction of UK decision-making around health and care. The focus on neighbourhood and community services, prevention and digital transformation strongly aligns with the values and work of occupational therapists. These emerging themes reinforce the importance of our continued engagement to ensure occupational therapy remains central to the conversation about service reform in England. You can read more about the conference in my blog.  

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Access to Disability Equipment’s has published its report exploring 'Barriers to Accessing Lifesaving Disability Equipment'. It found that disabled people are facing long waits, unsuitable equipment and fragmented services – with serious consequences for safety, independence and wellbeing. The report calls for national standards, better data and improved integration of services. Occupational therapy was recognised as central to tackling these issues, with evidence from RCOT members helping ensure the profession’s voice was heard. We’ll continue to push for timely access to equipment and for OTs to be embedded in rehabilitation and equipment pathways. Parliamentarians warn systemic failures are leaving children and adults without critical community care equipment — APPG for Access to Disability Equipment

It was a pleasure to support RCOT Member Kim Willis in giving evidence to the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee. The Committee are carrying out an inquiry into the future of GP services in Wales. 

Kim’s testimony gave an on-the-ground perspective of OTs working in GP clusters and the impact we can have on patient care. Unfortunately, only 50% of patients have access to an OT through their GP. This is timely with the launch of our annual campaign, as part of OT Week, demonstrating the with the right support at the right time, the power of occupational therapy.  

The Committee will be concluding their inquiry later this year. They will then publish a report on the issue and make recommendations to the Welsh Government. We’ll be keeping an eye out to see how far the Committee goes in advancing the need for OTs in GP practices. 

You can watch highlights from Kim’s evidence on our LinkedIn page.

The Royal College of GPs held their annual conference at the ICC in Newport this month. We had an exhibition stand and spoke directly to GPs about the benefits of OTs within their practices. 

It was clear that where an OT is a part of the practice, there is overwhelming support and a clear understanding of what OTs can achieve. We spoke with GPs from across the UK and the biggest question was ‘how can I get an OT involved?’

With support from GPs, our calls to the Welsh Government to continue on the journey towards more community-based services are greatly enhanced..  

Thank you to OTs Rachael Edwards and Matthew Height for volunteering on the stand. It makes a huge difference when engaging to have members involved. 

Plaid Cymru held their autumn conference in Swansea. It was a great opportunity to meet with Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd and candidates from across Wales.   

There were three key takeaways from the conference which gives us a sense of what a Plaid Cymru government might do if they win the Senedd elections next year. 

Plaid’s health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, reiterated the benefits of OTs and AHPs within the health service and that a Plaid government will have prevention at the heart of their public health agenda.  

Cefin Campbell MS, Plaid Cymru’s education spokesperson, spoke about having wraparound support for students, which would include health professionals in schools.  

And AHPF Cymru held a roundtable with Sioned Williams MS, who covers young people and social justice. I highlighted the fantastic work being carried out by James Marshman and Carly Williams training teachers on trauma and neurodiversity in schools around Neath Port Talbot. 

We will continue to follow up with Plaid Cymru – as we do with all political parties across Wales - to ensure that occupational therapy is included in their manifesto and a potential programme for government.