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The Royal College of Occupational Therapists is a British professional membership organisation dedicated to improving the practice of occupational therapy and setting standards through developing guidelines and accreditation. It was founded in 1974 after the merger of the Scottish Association of Occupational Therapists and the Association of Occupational Therapists. Princess Anne became its patron in 1986. The college has a journal called the British Journal of Occupational Therapy which was founded in 1974.

History
15 therapists, all women, founded the Scottish Association of Occupational Therapy in 1932 at a meeting in Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland. Margaret Menzies was the first president and Margaret Barr Fulton became the secretary and treasurer. The group met every six months for seven years before the meetings were suspended with the onset of the Second World War in 1939. The organisation re-established in 1946 as the Scottish Association of Occupational Therapists (SAOT) with 35 members and Fulton as its chair.

The Association of Occupational Therapists (AOT) was formed at Dorset House in Clifton, Bristol, England in 1936 where the first school of occupational therapy in the UK had been founded by doctor Elizabeth Casson six years prior. They represented occupational therapy in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The SAOT and AOT worked closely together including on the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act 1960 which established a register and regulation for allied healthcare professionals including occupational therapists. The organisations formally merged in 1974 in Newcastle after a referendum in 1969 and ballot in 1973. The successor organisation was known as the British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT). In the same year, it established a journal called the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.

In 1978, the BAOT became a registered trade union and the College of Occupational Therapists was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary charity to continue its professional and education role. Eight years later, Princess Anne became the college's patron. In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II granted the college a Royal charter and it was renamed as the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).

Organisation
RCOT has been based in Borough High Street, Southwark, London since 1998. Its president is psychiatrist Professor Sheila Hollins who has been in the role since October 2015. RCOT also has a council of eight members who are involved in the governance of the organisation. It sets the standards for occupational therapy including accreditation of pre-registration education and development of guidelines for the practice in the UK.

Awards
RCOT hosts an annual memorial lecture as a tribute to Elizabeth Casson delivered by a nominated member who had made a "significant contribution" to occupational therapy. The organisation also gives fellowships and merit awards yearly.

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kezjvtyt

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/030802260707001207

http://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/5498/1/Sumitted%20Manu%20before%20final%20edits_%20(002).pdf

https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/fd4ec4a7-3b1e-4f5f-bc34-eaefc7d39675/1/DH-4-3.pdf