Workforce planning: why it matters – and how every OT can play their part
Workforce planning – simple in principle, complex in practice
Workforce planning is a technical art. On the surface it seems simple, but in practice it’s about juggling complexity to make sure the right people, with the right skills, are in place. However, it isn’t just a leadership exercise. It’s a shared professional responsibility – one that shapes the safety, sustainability and future of occupational therapy services across the UK.
As demand for occupational therapy continues to rise, and as health and social care services adapt to growing and changing population needs, every occupational therapist has a role in ensuring our workforce is positioned to meet the needs of the people and communities we serve.
You’ve been telling us you need support from RCOT with workforce planning. We’ve now created a suite of resources to help you position the OT workforce. To help you grasp and shape the future of our profession. Everything you need in one place including tools, models, evidence and data sources to support your approach to workforce planning.
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Gary Waltham, RCOT Chief Executive
Why it matters more than ever
Workforce planning is now recognised as fundamental to the design and delivery of effective health and social care services. Effective workforce planning helps ensure:
- The right number of OTs with the right skills are available at the right time.
- Services can adapt proactively to changing local population health needs.
- Occupational therapists can work to the full scope of their professional skills, improving outcomes and job satisfaction.
- Investment decisions are evidence‑based, supporting stronger cases for OT service growth and redesign.
For OTs, strong workforce planning is not about filling rotas – it’s about ensuring services are sustainable, person‑centred and able to meet unmet occupational needs across communities.
Introducing our new workforce planning resources
We’ve launched a suite of new resources, tools and real-world case studies to help OTs understand what workforce planning means, why it matters and how to apply it in practice.
These resources form part of our wider Workforce Strategy and align with our commitment to equip the profession with the confidence, evidence and capability to influence workforce decisions at every level.
Start exploring the resources today
You can now explore the full workforce planning hub, including tools, case studies and guidance designed to support you in your role:
We know and understand the challenges in the profession right now. National drivers and our workforce strategy call for a shift in the profession. We hope these resources will support everyone to create this shift and position the profession to truly meet population needs. Whatever your area of practice or country of work, the future of our profession is changing. These tools will empower you to create and deliver your vision for occupational therapy.
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Karin Orman, Director of Practice, Innovation and Advocacy
Putting workforce planning into action
Whether you’re new to workforce planning or already responsible for leading services, these resources are designed to help you:
- understand your role in shaping your service’s workforce
- identify gaps, pressures or unmet needs using population and workforce data
- advocate for investment by demonstrating value and demand
- support colleagues to work to their full OT scope
- build a sustainable workforce positioned for the future.
As our Workforce Strategy outlines, the profession’s impact depends on having the right workforce in the right places – and that starts with each of us feeling equipped and empowered to contribute to the planning process.