Occupational Therapy Practice Data Guide: Building a Sustainable UK OT Business

Revenue Streams in Private OT Practice#

Private occupational therapists generate revenue from initial assessments (medico-legal, housing adaptations, care needs, paediatric, vocational rehabilitation), report writing, expert witness services, treatment sessions, equipment prescription and sourcing, and training or consultancy to other professionals. Medico-legal work — assessing individuals for personal injury or clinical negligence litigation — often generates the highest per-hour fees. Understanding your revenue split by work type reveals where to develop your practice most profitably.

Referral Source Analysis#

Track where every referral originates: solicitors (medico-legal), case managers, GPs and consultants, hospitals on discharge, social services, private insurers, direct client self-referral, and neurological or brain injury rehabilitation networks. Calculate average case value and average case duration by referral source. Medico-legal solicitor referrals typically generate the highest per-case fees. Building relationships with specialist personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors is the primary business development activity for OTs seeking to grow in this area.

Assessment and Report Revenue per Day#

Track revenue generated per day worked, broken down between clinical time (assessment and treatment), report writing time (non-billable preparation versus billable report time), and administrative time. Many OTs find their effective hourly rate when report writing time is included is significantly lower than their headline assessment rate suggests. Price your reports to reflect the actual time investment required — a complex medico-legal report with multiple appendices may require ten to fifteen hours of professional time beyond the assessment itself.

Report Turnaround Time and Client Satisfaction#

Track your average report turnaround time from assessment to report delivery, by report type (housing adaptation, care needs, medico-legal, vocational). Instructing solicitors and case managers have time pressure — cases with court deadlines or funding review deadlines cannot wait for slow report delivery. A reputation for fast, high-quality reports is a significant commercial differentiator in the OT private practice market. Track turnaround time performance monthly and compare to your stated service standard.

Caseload Capacity and Waitlist Management#

Track your active caseload — cases being actively managed — and your waitlist. Calculate your theoretical capacity: if you work four days per week and each new case requires an average of two days of active time in the first month, your monthly new case capacity is approximately eight. If referrals are exceeding this, you have a waitlist. Waitlists cause referrer dissatisfaction and case loss. Consider whether additional capacity through a second OT associate or expanding your working days is commercially justified.

Equipment Prescription Revenue and Supplier Relationships#

OTs who prescribe assistive technology, home adaptations, or mobility equipment may earn through product margin or supplier agreements. Track equipment-related revenue separately from assessment and treatment fees. Equipment that is genuinely the best clinical choice for a client should always be the recommendation — but building relationships with suppliers whose products you regularly prescribe can result in trade pricing that benefits clients and generates legitimate commercial return.

Continuing Professional Development and HCPC Registration#

HCPC registration is the regulatory requirement for occupational therapists in the UK. Track CPD hours, HCPC registration renewal dates, and CPD investment cost. BAOT membership and specialist interest section participation supports both CPD requirements and professional networking that generates referrals. Track the referrals that originate from professional networking activities to understand the return on your CPD and professional engagement investment.