British Association of Hand Therapists

About BAHT

The British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) is a registered UK charity and clinical interest group for anyone interested in the rehabilitation of hands. BAHT aims to support members in their professional development as hand therapists, including the progression of specialist knowledge, clinical skills and their understanding of the profession.

Established in 1984, BAHT membership is comprised of occupational therapists and physiotherapists from Britain and overseas.

BAHT produces a quarterly journal publishing recent research in the field of hand therapy, an e-bulletin which keeps members up-to-date with courses and events and BAHT also provides access to an on-line forum where therapists can discuss and debate management of different conditions.

BAHT organizes a national conference on an annual basis and promotes regional hand therapy interest groups across the UK, allowing the sharing of knowledge, ideas and research.

BAHT funds hand therapy-related research, co-ordinates and validates hand therapy-related educational courses and also offers bursaries for these courses, as well as national and international conferences.

What are the Aims and Objectives of BAHT?

1. To advance and promote the study and general knowledge of treatment of the hand.
2. To publicise and promote understanding and information in order to encourage high standards of care and research in this field.

Members log in to see the BAHT Constitution

The Strategic Plan

This plan reports on the progress with the aims and objectives and is reported quarterly in the chairman's report in the British Journal of Hand Therapy and at the BAHT Annual General Meetings.

Click here to see the current Strategic Plan (member log in only)
Click here to see the minutes of the most recent AGM (member log in only)

How does BAHT achieve its aims and objectives?

BAHT is made up of its members and three committees:

1. The Executive Committee
2. The Education Sub-Committee
3. The Research and Development Committee

Each committee is made up of volunteer members who are elected to the committee at the AGM for a term of three years.

The Executive Committee's responsibility is to promote the objectives and manage the resources of BAHT.  They meet regularly through the year to review progress, to assess applications for bursaries, to address current events that may have an implication for hand therapists and BAHT and to progress the aims and objectives of the current strategic plan.

The Education Sub-Committee aims to promote and facilitate post-graduate hand therapy education.  The ESC also meets on a regular basis to discuss validation of courses, to evaluate and assess course effectiveness and to develop the route to Accredited Hand Therapist.

The Research and Development Committee aims to support the development of research capacity and knowledge generation within hand therapy and are involved in the evaluation of submissions for research grants and in guiding further research development.