Julia Scott, CEO, Royal College of Occupational Therapists said:
“Tonight’s Panorama shone a light on the monumental challenges facing the adult social care team at Somerset County Council. The challenges they face are replicated right across the UK and it’s clear that people are struggling to get through each day without the support they desperately need and deserve. While there is no easy solution, we need an integrated approach. You can’t fix social care in isolation, social care and the NHS are intertwined. People in need of social care often have multiple and often ongoing health issues, therefore it’s clear that social care and the NHS need parity of esteem in terms of resources and long-term planning.
“Occupational therapists work across and within both NHS and Social Care sectors, so they have a crucial role to play in a sustainable and high-quality health and social care system. As the programme showed, they are already a key part of social care services in the UK, although demand for their services exceeds supply. Occupational therapy doesn’t distinguish between the health and social care needs of an individual – we focus on what matters to the person. We are unique in working across the fluid boundaries between NHS and Social Care, and across the UK we are already delivering high-quality person-centred care, operating as part of joint health and care teams in the community.”