Occupational Therapy is an allied health profession that aims to facilitate a child’s participation in meaningful daily activities. All Occupational Therapists in Australia hold a university degree and must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (AHPRA).

Occupational Therapists at RCH have expert understanding of child development and how this relates to your child’s medical condition. We assess each child individually and develop child and family-centred recommendations.

Coming to the hospital for Occupational Therapy

How can my child see an Occupational Therapist at RCH?

• Occupational Therapy at RCH only accepts internal referrals from other RCH departments and wards.

What should I bring if my child needs to be in hospital? 

• Please see OT: what to bring to hospital to plan for what toys and other items help your child while they are in hospital.

Opening hours:

• We provide inpatient and outpatient services Monday to Friday between 8:00am – 4:30pm
• We have an inpatient After Hours service which may cover Saturdays and Public Holidays

Coming to an Occupational Therapy appointment

• We ask that families consider the number of people attending an OT appointment due to limited space available and distraction from others during the appointment.
• Occupational Therapy outpatient appointments may take place in different parts of the hospital so please refer to your appointment letter to check where you need to go and when you need to arrive. If you are coming to a Hand Therapy Occupational Therapy appointment at RCH, hand splints (if applicable) should be brought to every visit.  
• Some Occupational Therapy appointments may be offered via video consultation which is known as telehealth.  If you would like to consider your next appointment using telehealth please discuss this with your Occupational Therapist.

Cancelling or changing an Occupational Therapy appointment

• If you are unable to come to your Occupational Therapy appointment or need to change the date or time of the appointment please let us know as soon as possible. This allows us to find another date/time for your child, and to offer your original appointment to another family.
• You can cancel or reschedule your appointment by calling the Allied Health Administration team on (03) 9345 9300 between 8.30am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

Where are we located?

• Occupational Therapy is part of Allied Health. We are located opposite the Green lifts on Level 1 East Building
• We have patient treatment rooms in this area. Please report to Reception B if you have an appointment or query
• Our clinical offices are adjacent to the entry to Reception B

How to see an Occupational Therapist in the community

To find other Occupational Therapists in your community, the Occupational Therapy Australia website provides a Find an OT service.