Seven Years On: Why I Still Believe Research is Core to Occupational Therapy Practice
Seven years ago, I stood on the stage at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference, taking part in a live debate on the motion:
"Research is not core to Occupational Therapy practice and is therefore not part of an Occupational Therapist's professional identity."
I was invited to argue against the motion and make the case that research is, and always has been, fundamental to Occupational Therapy.
The debate was lively, thought-provoking and fiercely contested. Our opponents presented some compelling arguments, but in the end our team won the debate. You can check out the debate 👇on YouTube. My 10-minute speech is about 34 minutes in, but if you have time, please watch the whole debate. https://youtu.be/wvbwUAE0uVo?si=tuE7p9QNrEFaYklb
Recently, as I prepared for Red4Research Day (Friday, 19th of June), I revisited the blog I wrote after that event. Reflecting over the last seven years, my views haven’t changed, so much of what I argued then feels just as relevant today. In fact, I would argue that the case for research being central to Occupational Therapy practice is even stronger now than it was seven years ago.
Since that debate, I have continued to develop my clinical academic career alongside leadership and workforce development roles. I have completed a PhD, received further NIHR funding, worked with colleagues across South Yorkshire to build research capacity, and most recently been appointed as an NIHR Senior Research Leader.
Through all these experiences, one belief has remained constant:
Research is not an optional extra. Research is a core component of high-quality clinical practice.
Research gives us the evidence to demonstrate our value, improve services, influence commissioning decisions and, most importantly, improve outcomes for the people we serve.
I have seen first-hand how research can transform lives. I have seen patients gain access to new treatments and interventions through research studies. I have seen clinical practice change because of new evidence. I have seen research improve services, develop staff, strengthen teams and create opportunities that would otherwise never have existed.
These experiences have reinforced my belief that research delivers far more than publications and academic outputs. My work with the VICTOR Research Impact Tool has further strengthened this conviction, helping to make visible the wide-ranging impacts of research on patients, staff, organisations and health systems.
Back in 2019, I described research as being like the core of an apple, 🍎central to the fruit's existence. I argued that research produces the knowledge that nourishes and sustains our profession. Just as the core contains the seeds from which future trees grow, research generates the evidence, ideas and innovations that enable healthcare to develop and improve. Without it, progress stalls and opportunities to improve patient care are lost.
Perhaps the biggest thing that has changed is the opportunities available to Occupational Therapists and other Allied Health Professionals through the NIHR. https://www.nihr.ac.uk/uk-clinical-academic-training-nurses-midwives-ahps-and-other-health-and-care-professionals-principles-and-obligations
Seven years ago, clinical academic careers were still unfamiliar to many clinicians. Today we have clearer career pathways, growing investment, stronger networks and increasing recognition of the contribution that Allied Health Professionals can make to research leadership.
Yet there is still more to do!
Too often, research is viewed as something undertaken by a small group of academics rather than something that belongs to all of us. But research participation exists on a spectrum. Whether you are reading evidence, implementing new knowledge, supporting a study, involving patients in research, collecting data or leading a research project, you are contributing to a research-active culture.
Research is not confined to universities.
Research belongs in our clinics, our community services, our hospitals, our primary care teams and our conversations with patients. That is one of the reasons I am so passionate about my new role as an NIHR Senior Research Leader. Over the next three years, I will be working across South Yorkshire and Doncaster Primary Care to help build research capability and confidence within primary care, creating opportunities for clinicians to engage with research and helping organisations embed research as part of everyday practice.
On Red4Research Day, we celebrate the people who make research happen 🎉.
We celebrate patients, public contributors, clinicians, support staff, researchers and leaders who recognise that better evidence leads to better care 🎉.
Looking back at that debate seven years ago, I am pleased to say that I stand by every one of my core arguments today. Research was part of our professional identity then, and it’s part of our professional identity now, and it will be critical to the future of Occupational Therapy and the wider health and care workforce for many years to come.
Happy #Red4Research Day 💓
About Red4Research
Red4Research is an annual campaign that celebrates the life-changing impact of health and care research. The campaign recognises the contribution of patients, service users, researchers, clinicians and support staff who work together to improve care and outcomes through research. Find out more 👉https://rdforum.nhs.uk/red4research-2026/
