Abstract
The RCOT Publications Group (RPG) plays a key part in RCOT’s strategic aim to ‘lift up’ every occupational therapist and to support them to be the best they can be throughout their entire career. It does this by being an important component in the development of RCOT’s resources which help occupational therapists make progress in their careers and achieve their aims (Royal College of Occupational Therapists [RCOT], 2022).
Members will be familiar with titles including the Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics (Royal College of Occupational Therapists [RCOT], 2021a), the Career development framework (Royal College of Occupational Therapists [RCOT], 2021b) and guidance on key topics such as record keeping, risk and supervision. All of these are critiqued by the RPG before being published. The group also supports RCOT priority work streams and quality assures draft resources produced by Branches and other groups publishing in collaboration with RCOT. It provides a governance role in the development of practice guidelines by ensuring that they are produced in line with RCOT’s NICE accreditation criteria (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2021). Part of this rigorous process involves members of the RPG evaluating the final draft guideline using the Appraisal of guidelines, research and evaluation (AGREE) II instrument tool (AGREE Next Steps Consortium, 2017).
The RPG has a responsibility to ensure published resources maintain a style and quality that supports the professional and public standing of RCOT. It consists of ten occupational therapists from a range of health, social care, independent and education backgrounds and three public contributors; it was the first RCOT group to have representation from people who had accessed occupational therapy services.
Public contributors and occupational therapists in the group have an equal voice in shaping RCOT resources as essential tools to promote and articulate the role of occupational therapy to other professionals and the people they work with. The different perspectives brought to the table by RPG members help drive RCOT’s commitments to deliver inclusive and accessible resources and to promote equity and social justice. Two members have a specific remit of ensuring that resources are non-discriminatory and inclusive.
A recurring reason for occupational therapists wanting to join RPG is feeling passionate about their profession and wanting to make a positive difference. Professional development is also a key reason; involvement with the professional body is recognised as a CPD activity by the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC, 2019). Being part of the group provides the opportunity to use existing skills and learn new ones, such as appraising draft documents, gaining committee experience and the opportunity to take on a more formal role as Chair or Vice-chair:
I was also hoping to be able to shape some of the professional body’s endeavour and provide a voice from education within the professional publications of the RCOT.
Every day is always a learning day! As ever, there is always something new to learn and RPG adds to my own CPD but also widens my perspective and also my network of new and additional contacts which is always of use!
The occupational therapy members say that being part of RPG helps them keep connected to RCOT and is a good way to stay up to date with their professional body’s initiatives and priorities. Members enjoy ‘seeing behind the scenes’ about how resources are developed and what is coming next. Doing something different to the day job is another motivating factor for joining RPG.
Public contributors also feel a sense of wanting to give back to the occupational therapy services they have received:
Having used OT services at a few points in my life and worked on publications in various capacities, becoming a Public Contributor on the group seemed like a good fit and an interesting way for me to use a range of experiences to support the RCOT’s work.
Another public contributor said they were motivated to join the RPG after seeing the positive effect occupational therapy had on their child’s ability to access education and to socialise with their peers. They were also aware of the hurdles many carers face when securing appropriate provision for the people they care for, such as not being aware of what services exist or how to access them. They wanted to represent carers’ experiences of navigating the system and to help influence and inform change through RCOT’s resources.
The occupational therapists in RPG value the chance to work with people with lived experience as they are central to what occupational therapy is all about. For example, a public contributor brought a ‘real-world’ perspective of a service user and carer to make points that may otherwise have been missed:
I remember one discussion about a document about play where the discussions were focused on suitable toys for children, and I raised the issue of disabled parents potentially needing support with appropriate toys when playing with their children.
Being part of RPG brings further opportunities within RCOT for public contributors to share their lived experiences on a wider scale. These include being invited to join the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Project’s steering group, the Public and Patient Involvement Consultation Group, and speaking at the 2022 RCOT All Colleagues event.
RPG is well respected for the wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise it brings to the organisation as a whole. It helps the professional body to better understand current practices and challenges faced by its membership. The group has been described as a sounding board and a ‘critical friend’ to RCOT staff who develop resources, helping them to re-visit issues and think differently. RPG helps to ensure the use of current preferred terminology and that resources are pitched appropriately to the target audience:
Feedback from the RPG was especially helpful during the development of a document aimed at occupational therapists and members of the public. I received written comments from the group and spoke directly to a public contributor who was particularly interested in the subject. Together we produced a document that is easy to read and respects the perspective of people with lived experience.
Feedback from group members has helped me improve clarity of language, hone content and enhance particular resources.
RCOT acknowledges that additional commitments can be difficult to balance ‘on top of the day job’ and are grateful to members who have generously given their time to support the development of our publications. The efforts of this small group have a big impact in the provision of high-quality resources which benefits RCOT, the wider occupational therapy community and ultimately provides a better experience for people who access services.
Members’ input is essential to ensure RCOT’s resources remain relevant and contemporary. As each RPG member completes their three-year tenure, vacancies are promoted on social media and in Highlight, the monthly email bulletin sent to RCOT members. Self-nominations are encouraged from members from across the four UK nations, the affinity groups and members who have had no previous involvement with RCOT. RPG meets twice a year with draft documents sent to members for review between meetings.
Look out for these opportunities to gain from the valuable learning, professional development and networking experience. Share your knowledge, skills and expertise to help influence RCOT’s thinking on the types of resources it develops (RCOT 2021a, section 6.3.9, p37).
As our professional organisation, I firmly believe we need to participate actively in its interaction and service to its members and therefore where opportunities do present themselves, to make the most of these.
Footnotes
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
