Updates from our Policy and Practice Team – April 2026

Alongside colleagues from other Allied Health Professions (AHP) professional bodies, we hosted a pre‑election hustings event, welcoming candidates from all six of Scotland’s main political parties.

The discussion covered a wide range of issues affecting health and care services, with broad recognition of the pressures facing the system and the importance of sustainable, preventative approaches.

Key themes included the critical role AHPs play in shifting the balance of care from acute to community settings, and the need for a workforce that's supported and equipped to deliver future commitments, including rehabilitation services.

If you weren’t able to join us live, a recording of the event will be available on the AHP Federation website soon.

Voting is a vital occupation, and everyone should be enabled to take part if they wish to.

We’ve written guidance with occupational therapists to help people feel confident voting if they experience barriers to doing so. 

You can find our guide online at rcot.co.uk/voting

While deadlines for postal and proxy voting have now passed, people may still be able to apply for a medical emergency proxy up until 5pm on polling day itself.

This month, we’ve been working on a briefing for the Northern Ireland Executive to support clear, consistent decision‑making on community equipment provision.

The briefing sets out where, when and on what basis non‑occupational therapists may be involved in assessing for and issuing equipment. Importantly, it sets out when occupational therapy expertise and clinical oversight are required.

Drawing on policy and practice examples from across the UK, the briefing reflects a risk‑stratified approach to equipment provision

The aim of this work is to support shared understanding across teams, promote consistent and proportionate decision‑making and ensure OT expertise is focused where it adds most value.

We’ve also begun work on a response to a public consultation launched by the Department of Education on draft guidance for the use of restrictive interventions in educational settings across Northern Ireland.

The guidance aims to reduce and minimise practices such as restraint and seclusion and to strengthen requirements around recording and reporting incidents.

Alongside this policy development work, we’ve published refreshed webpages, setting out how we’re influencing changes in Northern Ireland.

These updates make it easier to find information on our current focus areas, ongoing policy work and opportunities to get involved.

As always, thank you for your continued support and engagement. We’ll share further updates as this work progresses.