Week one
- Confirm your HCPC registration is current
- Sort indemnity insurance covering your assessment types
- Apply for an enhanced DBS check through an umbrella body
- Buy your domain name
Before you start
Registration, insurance and DBS
"Occupational Therapist" is a protected title regulated by the HCPC. You must be registered to use it and to practise, in private work as anywhere else.
Keeping your registration current
Your existing registration continues with no separate process. Maintain your CPD and renew on your usual cycle, and make sure that CPD reflects the groups you are working with privately, particularly if you are moving into assessment work.
Professional indemnity insurance
You need your own policy for private work. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists offers member insurance, and specialist providers such as HCAS, Towergate and Balens are commonly used. Check it covers your specific work, including assessment and report writing, which not every policy does by default.
Working with children and vulnerable adults
You will need a current enhanced DBS check. As a self-employed practitioner you apply through a registered umbrella body rather than an employer, and RCOT can advise on the process.
Reports and assessments
If you provide formal assessment reports, whether for autism, ADHD, sensory processing, housing adaptations or legal cases, be clear about your competency in each. If a type of assessment is new to you, get supervision from an experienced colleague before taking private cases. The professional responsibility does not soften because the work is private.
On autism and ADHD assessments: this is currently the highest-demand area in private OT, because NHS paediatric waits run to years in some places. That demand is real, and so is the responsibility that comes with assessment quality and report standards.
Getting set up online
Your website and online profile
Private OT referrals come from two directions: word of mouth between professionals, and parents searching Google. Your online presence needs to satisfy both, and they want different things.
Your website
Be specific. "Private occupational therapist" is broad and forgettable. "Paediatric OT specialising in autism and sensory processing" tells a parent within seconds whether to keep reading. State who you work with, adults or children or both, how assessments and sessions run, and how to enquire.
If you write reports, say which kinds and what for: school support plans, EHCP evidence, housing adaptations, medico-legal. Families and solicitors are frequently searching for one specific report type, and they will pick whoever names it.
Google Business Profile
Set one up even if you are mobile or work across several locations, using a service area rather than a home address. Choose the occupational therapist category and complete every section. Parents searching "paediatric OT near me" see the map results first.
Professional directories
The RCOT find-an-OT directory is the main professional listing. Local SEND directories maintained by councils are worth being on if you work with children. Once you are established, word of mouth from SENCOs, CAMHS and paediatricians is usually the strongest single source.
Being found
Local SEO for private occupational therapists
Searches for private OT are unusually specific. People generally know what they need, which makes ranking for those exact phrases valuable in a way broad terms never are.
The searches that matter
- "Private occupational therapist" with your town or county
- "Paediatric OT near me" or "children's occupational therapist" with your area
- "Private autism assessment OT" with your area
- "Sensory processing assessment" with your area
- "EHCP occupational therapy report" with your area
- Adult assessment terms, if you work with adults
How to improve your visibility
- Put your specialism and location in your page titles
- Give each main service or assessment type its own page, since each ranks separately
- Collect Google reviews from referrers and families, within professional boundaries
- Make your HCPC registration and RCOT membership clearly visible
- Answer what parents actually search: what a sensory assessment involves, how long a report takes
If you travel to clients: a separate page per area will each rank independently. For a mobile practitioner covering several towns, this is usually the highest-return work available.
A simple plan
Your first 30 days
Work through these in order. The compliance steps need to be in place before you take on clients.
Week two
- Website live, with a clear page per service or assessment type
- Google Business Profile set up and verified with a service area
- List on the RCOT directory and local SEND directories
- Set up a secure enquiry form, since families ask before they book
Week three
- Draft content pages for your key assessment types
- Introduce your service to local SENCOs, CAMHS teams and paediatricians
- Ask referrers for a Google review
- Check your HCPC number and insurance details are visible on the site
Week four
- Check where you rank for your main terms
- Review the site on a phone
- Plan a quarter of content. FAQ pages rank and save you repeating yourself
- Check whether CQC registration applies to your services
Honest answers
Common questions about going private as an OT
Can I do autism or ADHD assessments without specialist training?
OTs can contribute to autism and ADHD assessment within scope of practice, particularly on sensory processing, functional skills and developmental observation. Diagnosing either is a multi-disciplinary process, so if you offer assessment reports be precise about what yours covers and what conclusions it does and does not draw. Seek supervision if the area is new to you.
Do I need to register with the CQC?
Most independent OTs working as sole practitioners do not. If you provide regulated activities, particularly anything affecting mental health, you may need to. The CQC website has a self-assessment tool and RCOT can advise on your specific situation.
What should I charge for a private assessment?
It varies widely by assessment type and by area, and full assessment-plus-report packages sit well above an initial consultation. Medico-legal work commands more again. Research what experienced private OTs near you charge before setting yours, rather than working from a figure online.
Where do most private OT referrals come from?
A mix: parents searching Google, word of mouth from SENCOs and other SEND professionals, GP referrals, and the RCOT directory. Once established, relationships with local schools, CAMHS and paediatricians tend to be the most reliable ongoing source.
Should I focus on children or adults?
Either works, but pick one to lead with. Paediatric demand is currently higher because of assessment waiting lists, but adult work has less competition in many areas. Trying to present as both to everyone makes your website vaguer and your marketing weaker.