By Alison Keir

BEFORE this pandemic is over, hundreds of us will need professional help to fully recover our health, strength and stamina.

As the second wave hits, once more there is the challenge of a rising demand for rehabilitation services.

We know that nearly 50 per cent of people hospitalised due to Covid-19 are likely to need some form of rehabilitation as part of their recovery. Some patients, like the author Michael Rosen, who spoke so eloquently of his experiences on BBC News just a few weeks ago, need dedicated support to find the ability to walk again. There is a growing number of people who have had the virus and not required hospital care, but who are now experiencing “long Covid”.There are also all those who have had their rehabilitation delayed whilst services have been focused on managing the pandemic at its peak. All of these groups need urgent attention and action from health and care services.

The Scottish Government understands the importance and need for quality rehabilitation services, and has recently produced a strategy to roll out these across Scotland to everyone who needs them. Whilst the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) commends its decision, this now needs to happen as a matter of urgency, and the strategy doesn’t say how it will be appropriately resourced. A critical element of any rehabilitation strategy must be investment in a skilled and diverse workforce. This means therapists who can deal with multiple rehabilitation needs, including anxiety, memory loss, fatigue, respiratory or cardiac issues.

Yet it is painfully clear that, at a time when occupational therapists and other allied health professionals are desperately needed, there is a significant shortage of them. The occupational therapy profession is on the UK’s Shortage Occupations List and the vacancy rate in the NHS in Scotland is around five per cent. This is piling on the pressure to an already-stretched NHS and their community services. If the health and care services can’t be staffed to full capacity, this will begin to impact on the care that patients receive. That’s why the focus of our annual campaign – Occupational Therapy Week – is inspiring people from all backgrounds to choose occupational therapy as their career.

The path to becoming a therapist can be one that is shaped by life experiences. Take Iain Jordan – an occupational therapist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, who returned to Scotland after working around the world to train as an occupational therapist and is now supporting the recovery of stroke patients.

Being an occupational therapist is very rewarding. We work with people of all ages, backgrounds and across all communities. We change people’s lives on a daily basis and as well as the NHS, our members work in social care, schools and the emergency services. We don’t just focus on the physical, we also work to restore a person’s quality of life and improve mental health by helping them do the everyday activities many people take for granted such as washing, dressing, exercising or socialising.

So, Occupational Therapy Week 2020 is not only our moment to celebrate the profession, but also an opportunity to highlight the need for more occupational therapists and other allied health professionals to help fight the pandemic. It doesn’t matter what your background is, you’re needed now more than ever to ensure everyone, regardless of their health and social circumstances, gets the access to rehabilitation that they need and the support they deserve.

Alison Keir is Professional Practice Lead (Scotland), Royal College of Occupational Therapists