Supervision in Occupational Therapy: How are We Doing?

Abstract

Occupational therapy has endorsed the practice of clinical supervision to promote high quality services and professional accountability, in line with the Government's governance agenda (Department of Health 1998, 2000). This opinion piece was prompted by a survey of London-based occupational therapists in autumn 2005, which highlighted inconsistencies in the practice and theory of supervision and in the provision of training. The authors argue that managers in health and social care settings should adopt a theoretical framework for supervision; make their expectations explicit; and build an infrastructure, including training and audit, to demonstrate the effectiveness of supervision in improving patient care as well as supporting staff growth.