Scotland policy and public affairs update

August marked the successful launch of Building Health into Homes in Scotland

The day was split into two sessions, with the morning focused on strategic leaders from across the sector and the afternoon dedicated to occupational therapists, exploring the practitioner toolkit in more detail.

RCOT Professional Practice Manager, Lauren Walker, presented the resources and RCOT member Jill Pritchard facilitated a highly productive discussion.

Significant potential

The launch showed strong appetite for this work and highlighted the significant potential of occupational therapy to shape healthier homes and communities. Stakeholders responded very positively, expressing optimism about the resources and genuine enthusiasm for the future of the programme.

Build further momentum

We will continue to engage with stakeholders, explore opportunities to widen the reach of the programme, and build further momentum to advance this important area of work.

Download the Building Health into Homes practitioner toolkit

What’s happening?

The Scottish Government has published its Programme for Government, setting out its plans for its time in office. The programme includes a strong focus on prevention, early intervention, community-based care and helping people live independently at home for longer.

Read the full Government programme

Why this matters to you

The commitments to shift more care from hospitals into communities, reform social care, reduce health inequalities, support people with disabilities and long-term conditions to access employment, and improve outcomes across the life course closely align with the core role of occupational therapists and will change the landscape of our profession.

What we’re doing

We are continuing to engage with Ministers on these issues and working collaboratively with AHP colleagues to ensure AHPs have a strategic seat at the table in the new structures that will follow reform.

There is a real opportunity for AHPs and occupational therapists to be better represented, and we must work together to make that a reality.

What’s happening?

Public Service Reform remains firmly on the Scottish Government’s agenda. Alongside colleagues at Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland (AHPFS), we responded to the Public Service Reform Committee’s call for views as part of its pre-budget scrutiny.

Public sector reform is more than short-term savings or workforce reductions

We argued that public sector reform should be judged by improved outcomes, prevention and long-term sustainability, not just short-term savings or workforce reductions.

Our main message was that Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are essential to reform because they support early intervention, rehabilitation, independence, self-management and community-based care – helping reduce demand on acute and crisis services.

What we’re doing

We highlighted barriers including:

• short-term budgeting
• fragmented accountability
• poor data
• weak digital infrastructure
• lack of investment in AHP capacity
• workforce shortages.

We called for:

• clearer protection of frontline roles
• stronger preventative budgeting
• better metrics
• improved digital systems
• greater investment in AHP-led services to deliver sustainable whole-system value.

We will continue to engage with Ministers, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and the committee as this work continues to gather pace.