§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many occupational therapists have been recruited 93W in the last three years; and if he will make a statement on the work of his Department in encouraging applications.[107912]
§ Mr. HuttonBetween September 1999 and 2001, there was a net increase in the number of occupational therapists employed in the national health service of 1250, 10 per cent.
The Government have put in place a range of recruitment initiatives to facilitate the NHS meeting the challenging targets set out in the NHS Plan and Delivering the NHS Plan. Initiatives in place to encourage recruitment, retention and return into the allied health professions, including occupational therapy, includes media campaigns, conferences and specifically for occupational therapy, the 'Positively Diverse' campaign to bring people with disabilities into the profession.