Influence service commissioners
Members have access to a range of resources and evidence to enable them to influence service commissioners
Service commissioners are the key budget holders who allocate health and social care spend. By influencing their decisions you can ensure service users have increased access to occupational therapy services. You can also ensure increased allocation of resources to occupational therapy and more job opportunities for the profession.
Influence service commissioners in your local area
You are best placed to influence service commissioners. BAOT/COT provides resources and support to help you shape service commissioning in your local area. We can help you respond to local needs and agendas in a way which will benefit the profession locally and ultimately nationally.
Saving money for service commissioners
Service commissioners are the budget holders who allocate funds for health and social care. It’s important to demonstrate the value for money of OT services in order to encourage commissioners to purchase OT services to ensure OT continues to play a vital role in health and social care delivery.
Materials available for targeting commissioners
There are four short films aimed at commissioners - each one features a service user, together with supporting information and evidence relating to:
The service users in each of these films explain how they have been able to carry on doing the things they need or want to do, despite their difficulties, thus providing live case studies that can be shown to your managers and board, and ultimately to commissioners of services, to promote the benefits of OT intervention.
Influencing supports your continuing professional development
Taking responsibility for the promotion of the profession is an excellent way to build evidence for your CPD portfolio.
Download Influence Service Commissioners Template Letter
Occupational therapy evidence fact sheets
Occupational therapists can save money for commissioners of older people's services
Occupational therapists provide cost effective solutions for older people's care and can support older people with reablement, preventing falls, remaining safe and independent at home and public health. Occupational therapists’ training includes understanding the medical, physical and psychological impact of disability or injury, as well as rehabilitative techniques in restoring and aiding recovery. Occupational therapists are therefore pivotal in ensuring reablement services are efficient, effective, and reduce dependency (College of Occupational Therapists 2010).
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Occupational therapists enable children to participate in activities at home and in school
Occupational therapists are health and social care professionals who are specifically and uniquely trained to address the relationship between occupation, physical and mental wellbeing. They help children and young people up to 18 years of age to access education and engage in activities at home and in school. Occupational therapists are one of the few professionals to work with children across all settings - in the home, at school, and in the community - enabling children to develop their skills and increase their independence.
Occupational therapists provide cost effective solutions for mental health services
Occupational therapists work with service users to help them to regain and maintain a personally satisfying routine of everyday activities – this could include self care, leisure or work activities - that they need or want to do, in order to help people experiencing mental health problems to live life their way. By working in this way, occupational therapists can ensure service users choose health-enhancing activity and alter lifestyle habits such as smoking, diet and exercise.
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Occupational therapists support people with long term conditions
Occupational therapists are specifically and uniquely trained to emphasise the relationship between occupation, health and wellbeing. Occupational therapists work with service users to help them to regain and maintain a personally satisfying routine of everyday activities. This could include self care, leisure or work activities, that they need or want to do, in order to help people with long term conditions to live life their way.
