RCOT and public benefit

As the professional body for occupational therapists in the UK and a registered charity, RCOT sets the professional and educational standards for occupational therapy, providing leadership, guidance and information relating to research and development, education, practice and lifelong learning to members. In doing so, we continuously improve the quality of care to the people our members serve.

Our members provide life-changing support to people managing illness, injuries and a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. Uniquely, they enable people to carry out daily activities (occupations) which are essential for health and wellbeing. This vital support helps people recover, maintain and build new skills to enjoy a full and independent life.

In practice, we:

• Ensure the occupational therapy profession is focused on helping to improve the health and wellbeing of the UK population.
• Make the public aware of how occupational therapy can benefit individuals and make a positive difference to their lives.
• Provide membership support to ensure that users of occupational therapy services receive professional, evidence-informed services.
• Ensure our members have access to continuing professional development guidance and advice that helps them to optimise their competencies and provide high-quality care for both service users and carers.
• Constantly support our members, providing them with information to ensure excellence in their practice, and keeping them well informed so that they can anticipate and react to changing needs and demands.

Our Council members (as the Trustees of RCOT) monitor our activities to ensure we meet our public benefit commitments, reporting on progress as part of our annual report and accounts (members only).