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Your membership 2023/24

Remain connected to your community

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It’s time to renew your RCOT membership for another year! Your membership will come into effect from Sunday 1 October 2023.  

A message from Odeth Richardson, Chair of RCOT

Odeth Richardson, Chair of RCOT, talks about the next year for members

My first year as Chair of Council has been an honour. I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to meet members in person and to regularly connect with you through my Inside Council vlogs – being more transparent and sharing all the good work that’s happening across RCOT to deliver our strategy.  

It’s tough out there for OTs, with high vacancy rates, and we’ve spent the last year really understanding the situation we’re in now across all parts of the UK. We do know though that the love for our profession is still there and we’re all proud to be OTs. 

Getting our membership offer spot on is important to make sure we’re supporting you right now and to grow our network. We’re keen to involve members with this and soon you’ll be invited to take part in our member survey. Please tell us what you think and what you need from us to support you, wherever you are in your OT journey. 

Thank you to everyone who responded to our Equity, Diversity and Belonging (EDB) draft strategy consultation this summer. EDB is everyone’s responsibility and the final strategy will be shared with you at the end of November – with clear actions on how we’ll be taking this forward and creating positive change at RCOT and throughout the profession. 

Your views are important to me. I’m always listening, so do get in touch directly too – chair@rcot.co.uk 

DD Payers  

If you pay by Direct Debit, please log into your portal and check your payment and contact details are up to date. Rest easy knowing we’ll roll your membership over into next year. 

Annual Payers  

If you pay annually by credit/debit card, please log into your portal and pay your fees online by Monday 2 October 2023. 

Switching to DD payments? 

If you have ever considered switching from credit card to Direct Debit payments, this is the year to do it! Contact our membership team via membership@rcot.co.uk to make the switch.

Have things changed?  

If your circumstances have changed (e.g. career break, parental leave, retirement, self-employment) you may want to change your membership category. You can do so by contacting the membership team at membership@rcot.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3141 4648. 

Please note that your membership category cannot be changed retrospectively. 

Your membership 2023/24

Welcome to another year of membership
I'm ready to renew

How much will my membership cost? 

As the UK is facing a cost of living crisis we have made the decision not to increase our fees this year. 

Don’t forget, you can spread the cost of your membership by paying monthly via Direct Debit. 

Please remember that, as a member of RCOT/BAOT, you can also access UNISON’s There for You service which offers financial assistance for members experiencing a range of financial difficulties. 

Woman reading a journal from RCOT
Another year of benefits

As part of this professional community, you have access to a wide range of benefits for you and your career.

When you renew your membership, you’ll get to spend another year: 

  • communicating your views and shaping our profession 
  • boosting your skills and professional practise 
  • receiving UNISON representation and insurance where appropriate. 

We’ll spend another year supporting you and demonstrating to people everywhere why they should value the life-changing power of occupational therapy. 

To ensure our members are at the heart of everything we do, you'll be invited to feedback on and develop the membership experience and offer this year. We'll also be hosting webinars to support you in maximising your membership.

To make sure you don't miss out, even if you pay via Direct Debit, please log in and double-check all your details are correct so we can keep you in the loop and ensure you have access to all your benefits.

I want to check my details

A message from Steve Ford, Chief Executive

Steve Ford, CEO of RCOT, discusses the year ahead for members

The year ahead is all about delivery – moving towards our vision that one day people everywhere value the life-changing power of occupational therapy. We have real clarity now of what we need to do. We’ve created new teams and we’re really starting to gain some momentum in terms of new services and new ways of working. 

The priority areas for the year ahead are to grow our membership, create a new member offer, move to a new model for member engagement, offer a high-quality member experience, and implement our EDB and workforce strategies. Alongside side that we’ll also be reviewing our governance structure.  

You’ll notice we haven’t increased membership fees this year. We’re developing a commercial strategy that will mean we rely less in future on membership fees to do the things we need to do.  

We’ve started the journey to get occupational therapy a stronger voice – by connecting with leaders and developing our positioning. We’ll be doing even more through our workforce strategy which we’ll launch in early 2024.  

Please take the opportunity to help shape what we do by continuing to get involved with our consultations, surveys and volunteering opportunities.  

We’re excited for the year ahead – thank you for your ongoing support. 

We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about renewing your membership this year into some handy FAQs. 

If your question isn’t answered below you can get in touch with us via membership@rcot.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3141 4648. 

Membership rates 2023/24

Depending on where you are in your career, we have a membership category to suit you. They are designed to match your needs and work for you. If you think your circumstances have changed you can explore them on our ‘join us’ page.

Membership category

Annual subscription

 Monthly Direct Debit***

Professional

£297.19

 £24.77

Newly qualified

£223.02

 £18.59

Self-employed

 £223.02 £18.59

Overseas*

 £223.02 £18.59

Career break**

£202.92

 £16.91

Retired

£73.69

 £6.14
Associate £174.17 £14.51
Associate Apprentice £61.51 £5.13

Student

£61.51

 £5.13

* Also available to members working and living in the Channel Islands.

** Only available for existing members. This also covers parental and carers leave and unemployment.

***There’ll be a slight variation in the monthly amounts as the annual figure doesn’t divide evenly.

How do I renew my membership?

Monthly Direct Debit payers 

If you pay your membership fees by Direct Debit, please log in to your member portal and head to the ‘My Membership’ section to check your contact and bank details are correct. 

Your payments, including totals and date of collection, will remain the same (unless your membership category has changed). 

Please note that cancelling your Direct Debit does not cancel your membership. If you wish to cancel your membership you can do so in writing via email at membership@rcot.co.uk. 

Annual card payers 

Log in to your member portal to pay your fees in full by credit or debit card. 

Switch to Direct Debit

You can take the opportunity to set up a monthly Direct Debit arrangement if you wish in the 'My Membership' section. Please contact the membership team for further details.  

How do I renew my Specialist Section membership?

If you belong to one or more of our Specialist Sections, your fee will be collected in the same way as your RCOT membership and renews automatically. You can review your Specialist Section subscription anytime via your online membership portal. 

Monthly Direct Debit payers 

Your Specialist Section fees will be collected at the same time as your RCOT membership fee. Your RCOT membership fee and Specialist Section fee(s) will show on your monthly bank statement as a single amount.   

Annual Credit card payers 

Please log into your online portal to pay your additional Specialist Section subscription fees.  

The annual Specialist Section membership fees remain:

  • RCOT Professional Membership - £35  
  • RCOT Self Employed Membership - £35  
  • RCOT Overseas Membership - £15  
  • RCOT Student Membership - £5  
  • RCOT Associate Membership - £15  
  • RCOT Retired Membership - £15            

Specialist Section subscription is an annual membership and, if you decide to cancel it, it will continue until the end of the membership period (Monday 30 September 2024). No refund will be issued once paid.

Visit here for more information about your Specialist Sections,

 

How do I change my membership category?

If your circumstances have changed (e.g. career break, parental leave, retirement, self-employment) you may want to change your membership category. You can do so by contacting the membership team at membership@rcot.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3141 4648. 

Please note that your membership category cannot be changed retrospectively.  

I haven't yet registered an online account?

If you haven’t registered an online account, please visit our re-register page and follow the instructions. 

You can watch a brief video on how to register for your RCOT online account. 

If you’re still having problems with logging in or registering, you can find out more at the re-register page, or use the Digital Team's online form. 

How do I resign my membership?

We’re sorry to hear that you're thinking of cancelling your RCOT membership. Please do get in touch with our membership team to discuss this further and arrange your resignation. You can contact them via membership@rcot.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3141 4648.

 

What are the terms and conditions of my membership?

By renewing your membership you’re agreeing to our Membership terms and conditions. Please contact us if you have any further questions.