The RCOT’s new chief needs OT input to help him achieve his first goal!
One hundred OT chats in one hundred days
Steve Ford has only been in his new job with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists for one day - and already he’s in the swing of setting goals in the true spirit of occupational therapy.
My first priority has got to be to listen and learn.
Appointed on the sixth of April as the RCOT’s new Chief Executive, Steve aims to chat to 100 occupational therapists (OTs) in 100 days to find out more about the challenges and opportunities the profession presents.
He is also keen to find out about their aspirations and any support needed for them to do their job at their best.
Each conversation, held virtually, will last around an hour and a half and, it’s hoped, will be representative of occupational therapy’s many different roles and specialisms.
Speaking about his appointment via a video introduction on the RCOT’s website [1], Steve appealed for support to help ensure a strong future for the profession.
“My first priority has got be to listen and learn,” he said.
“What I want to be able to do is to understand the experience of being an OT at every level and working within every sector.
What I do know is that there’s a tremendous breadth and depth of diversity across the profession and I’m really excited over the next few days to be able to hear and understand more about that.
“So, look out for opportunities to get involved. I hope over the next few weeks and months I’ll be able to meet as many of you as possible.”
Steve has over 30 years’ leadership experience in the health and social care sector.
For the last 15 years he was Chief Executive at Parkinson’s UK where he developed the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network which partnered the charity with health professionals to raise standards.
If you can share some time to chat with Steve about your work as an OT, you can find out more here: Steve Ford - The new RCOT chief-executive
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