Cash boost to widen the ranks of qualified and student OTs!
As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, GPs are being given more money to recruit 20,000 more allied staff, including OTs, to help free up their time.
And grants of between £5000 and £8000 are being offered from this September to help under- and post-graduate occupational therapy students complete their qualifications.
Julia Scott, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, said the NHS plan placed the profession “in a key role” in achieving its aims.
“The themes within (the plan) reflect many of the key recommendations the Royal College has been making in recent years – supporting people at home, a focus on prevention, greater integration and use of primary care, and achieving parity of esteem for mental health.
“Primary care, community health, prevention, technology and areas such as mental health and learning disabilities are areas where occupational therapists can make a real difference to people’s lives.”
The NHS plan aims to establish primary care networks at a cost of £1.8 billion across the entire country by 2023.
The new student grants, which do not have to be paid back, are being offered in a range of nursing and allied health disciplines, including occupational therapy.
Welcoming them amid healthcare staffing crises, Mark Radford, NHS Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, said: “This means we should be seeing an increase in people who wish to consider applying for these fulfilling and rewarding careers.”
What makes occupational therapy such a rewarding profession? Find out here:
About neurological occupational therapy
And here are some of the people our Krysalis Neurological Occupational Therapists have inspired: