Occupational Therapy is one of the 14 Allied Health Professionals. On the week commencing 1 November, Occupational Therapy teams will be showcasing their unique contributions to health with the theme being around health equity and the launch of Royal College’s campaign #OTsForEquity.
Health Equity means fair opportunity to live a long and healthy life, this means targeting resources to where they are most needed. The Covid pandemic has highlighted how social determinants such as economic status, ethnicity, and housing impact health beyond simply life choices. Occupational Therapists will be pledging to address these areas more; to ensure a fairer distribution of health.
Speaking about the campaign, Amanda Heaton, Practice Development Occupational Therapy lead said: “The Chief Medical Officer’s 2021 Annual report highlighted the huge health inequity faced by coastal communities such as Blackpool. This has large ramifications for the Acute Hospital which can be seen in higher rates of co-morbidity, longer than expected lengths of stays as well as more complex discharge planning. As a service of 49 Occupational Therapists and support staff in 10 clinical areas, we will be seeking to support this health equity agenda.
One of the basic ways initially identified is by attending training sessions around raising self-awareness of our own often hidden assumptions and privileges and how these might impact patient care.
Occupational Therapy are looking forward to engaging with the online tools that the Royal College of Therapy will make available during Occupational Therapy Week to facilitate discussions around what we can actively do going forward.
“One of the ways we are supporting the campaign is by creating a social media buzz. At 1pm 1.11.21, all 49 of us will put a themed poster on our social media feeds with the caption ‘ we love Occupational Therapy because….’,” added Amanda.