Abstract

All four of the UK country governments have set strategies to develop the multidisciplinary workforce within primary care. This is seen as a necessity borne from the increasing complexity of patients' needs, growth in the older adult population, and the resource challenges the system faces. Despite these strategies, the number of occupational therapists in the workforce remains low. Rocket Science was commissioned by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists to evaluate the scale and impact of occupational therapy for patients aged 65 years and over in three primary care sites in England, Scotland and Wales between October 2022 and February 2023.

Methods
The evaluation took a mixed methodological approach combining semi-structured interviews, data from the EQ-5D-5L patient outcome tool, appointment data and an electronic survey distributed to occupational therapists working in primary care.

Findings
Occupational therapy creates capacity, enables quicker access to care and alleviates pressure within the primary care system. In addition there were high levels of satisfaction in the care patients received from occupational therapists, with place-based care particularly valued.

Conclusions
Whilst there are a number of benefits of increasing the occupational therapy workforce in primary care there remain a number of structural challenges to both the recruitment of occupational therapists and evidencing the impact of their care.