Odeth Richardson, Head of Occupational Therapy at the Newcastle Hospitals, was elected Chair of Council for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and British Association of Occupational Therapy (BAOT) in 2022.
Of her election Odeth said: “I couldn’t be prouder to be elected by my peers as Chair of RCOT/BAOT Council. I know this is a huge responsibility. I look forward to representing members and working with Steve and Council to build on the fantastic work RCOT is doing and grow our future workforce.
“A membership body is only as strong as the sum of its members and my priority will be to promote equity and justice to ensure every member of RCOT feels heard and represented – and I mean every member. I will re-engage with those who feel disengaged and help them regain their voices.”
Of her appointment RCOT Chief Executive Steve Ford said: “Odeth will be a great ambassador for our members and the occupational therapy profession. Under our new vision, we want people everywhere to value the life-changing power of occupational therapy.
“With her strategic and inspiring work across the occupational therapy profession, charities and advisory boards, Odeth is ideally placed to champion and elevate the profession and help drive our new strategy forward.”
Watch this video with Odeth talking about her OT journey as we celebrate Allied Health Professionals Day 2022
Over 20 years occupational therapy experience
Odeth has been an occupational therapist for over 22 years. She was born in Jamaica and after moving to the UK trained at Brunel University in London. Starting her career at Hillingdon Hospital, Odeth pursued her interest in social services in Harrow and Brent and after becoming the Duty Team Lead at Brent social services, Odeth joined the Newcastle Hospitals as the Head of Occupational Therapy.
Alongside her current role, Odeth is a mentor at the Elizabeth Casson Trust and a critical friend to Glasgow Caledonian University and Northumbria University looking at improving the representation and experiences of underrepresented occupational therapy students.
Odeth is also the Chair of Newcastle Hospitals’ BAME Staff Network, Chair of the North East and North Cumbria ICS Race Equality Forum, Co-Chair of the Angelou Centre Trustees, a Strategic Independent Advisory Group member for the Northumbria Police and a trustee of the Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“The additional roles that I undertake outside of my professional roles are important to me as they are a means of giving something back to the community. These roles help to keep me grounded and I can make a difference in people’s lives and have been instrumental in my ability to take on the role as Chair of Council for the RCOT/BAOT.”
What made you want to become a Occupational Therapist?
I was attracted to a career in the health sector. Growing up I always wanted to be a nurse. I migrated from Jamaica to this country in the 1980s to join my siblings and found a job as a healthcare assistant in one of the large teaching hospitals in London working in theatres at the time.
My boss encouraged me to do nursing but I came across occupational therapy (OT) when I was sent to the rehabilitation ward on an errand. I was hooked and have never looked back since. I applied to train as an OT at Brunel and the rest is history.
What were your expectations of the profession?
I first experienced OT by observing Occupational Therapists practicing dexterity manipulation and control in relation to function on a neurological ward. I was fascinated and resolved to research this as a profession.
The more I learnt about the profession and the impact of occupations consolidated in my mind that Occupational Therapy was the career for me
Have you had any lightbulb moments during your career?
Yes – the first was on completion of my first major adaptations to a client’s property. I knew that having an accessible environment was important but the response from the client was overwhelming as he was suddenly enabled to manage most of his daily tasks without support.
The second happened when I moved to the North East of England and realised that I was the only black OT within the team. Having worked in Brent as one of the most multi-cultural boroughs in London, this difference was not noticed then as it was a very diverse team.
It was in the North East that I finally realised that Occupational Therapy was viewed by many as a white middle class profession and that I did not fit the mould. It was always spoken about by other colleagues during my training, but I never really took this onboard. No one within the organisation was expecting a black OT and it took a while for me to build relationships.
The final light bulb moment I will share happened following the death of George Floyd. It was at that point that I realised that our profession needs to do more to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion for all it’s members.
I have always stood outside the profession but realised at that point that if I wanted things to change, I needed to do my part to support and enable that change.
What does your current role look like day to day?
My day job is pretty varied. No two days are the same. I have the usual operational management responsibilities such as recruitment, management and HR type meetings, steering group meetings and task and finish groups. I also spend time supporting staff with personal and operational issues.
I undertake some strategic roles and represent the organisation on a number of forums. I am a Cultural Ambassador for the organisation so I’m also involved in a number of Disciplinary, Capability, Dignity and Respect proceedings.
In my role as Chair of Council for the RCOT/BAOT, I spend time undertaking tasks to ensure effective Governance of the organisation. This includes, working with the Chief Executive to ensure delivery of the strategy, attending various meetings with key stakeholders, representing the organisation on regional, national and international forums, liaising with the Senior Management team on key issues and supporting member engagement events. All RCOT/BAOT related duties are carried out alongside my role as Head of Service for OT in Newcastle.
What is it that you love about your role?
I love the variety of the role and the fact that no two days are the same.
I love being able to make a difference to patients by ensuring that I equip my staff with the tools necessary for them to deliver effective care to patients, and I love being able to make a difference to staff to enable them to bring their best selves to work.
I also love being able to support members to feel included and valued by the professional body. This still remains a work in progress but I’m committed to ensuring this remains a priority.
If you had one piece of advice for someone considering a career as an Occupational Therapist, what would you say?
I would encourage them to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy as you can make a huge difference to people’s lives and you can enhance someone’s quality of life, and to explore the variety of roles on offer as there is something for everyone.
