RCOT has published its manifesto for the Scottish Election in 2021, calling for occupational therapy to be at the forefront of the new Scottish Government’s commitment to healthcare, as the nation recovers from COVID-19.
Occupational therapists play a unique and valuable role in working across the NHS, social services, in care homes and the community, enabling people to live fulfilled lives as well as relieving pressure on health and care services.
Our key asks are:
- Build a multi-disciplinary workforce within GP practices to support people within their communities
- Increase occupational therapy services for children and young people to address physical and mental health needs early
- Ensure the right to community rehabilitation
- Deliver parity between health and social care.
Alison Keir, Professional Practice Lead Scotland, said: “Occupational therapists play a vital role in supporting the nation’s health and care services, improving lives, relieving pressure on emergency services and saving money. We are calling on the new Scottish government to support access to occupational therapy services aid the nation’s recovery from COVID-19 and support individuals to be happy and productive citizens. By supporting candidates that have committed to our key asks, occupational therapists will be best placed to assist their service users and support heath, social care, and the third sector in Scotland.”
The manifesto has been sent to parties at the end of last year to encourage them to consider our key asks when writing their manifestos. The full manifesto and the shorter manifesto-in-brief are both available for download.
Scottish members are encouraged to engage with this year’s elections, and petition their candidates to commit to supporting the key asks should they be elected. A resource pack, detailing a variety of ways you can be involved to support occupational therapy, is available for download below and contains sample social media posts, graphics, and letters to candidates as well as information on how to find out who is standing in your area.