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Your opinions matter greatly. Please take this 5-minute survey and let us know what's on your mind!

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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I am driven by data and have written over 60 papers and 2 books. I have presented at many national and international conferences. I delivered the Elizabeth Casson Lecture in 2021 where I challenged therapists to put equity front and center of the profession. My current research projects do just this. Their purpose is to make access to research and career advancement fair. The fair4reserach project on behalf of CAPHR (Council for Allied Health Research) has shown the difficulties therapists have in pursuing fair access to research careers and the need for pathways. I continue to drive this work forwards and will be equally passionate to work with funders and stake holders to drive research. Mt current research projects are related to AHPs with protected characteristics and include a new mentoring program for ethnic minority AHPs, a critical review of return to practice as well as career decision for ethnic minority AHPs. My current research focus on the community and the transferability and relevance and credibility of interventions.

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Speaker Profile: Felicity Deveraux & Hannah Tompkins

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Speaker Profile: Felicity Deveraux & Hannah Tompkins

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Felicity Devereux - Podiatrist & AHP Preceptorship Lead

Hannah Tomkins - Physiotherapist & AHP Preceptorship Lead

Through the creation of the AHP Preceptorship Programme, we both developed a passion for supporting Newly Qualified AHP's within Oxleas. We were lucky enough to be able to expand this programme in 2020 during a time of real challenge. The programme is now available nationally through a virtual platform in which we have been able to create a Newly Qualified AHP Community. We are delighted the programme is available within North London Mental Health Partnership and we look forward to meeting some of you today!

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Apprenticeship Lead, C&I

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Andrew Perugia is Project Manager at Noclor NHS Research Office. His career in research started eight years ago with coordinating studies in the primary care setting. Andrew has supported the local set up of studies across a wide range of specialties including cancer screening tests, cardiovascular treatments and mental health interventions. Andrew sits on several national groups supporting the R&D forum and the NIHR Primary Care Strategy.

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Linda Hindle OBE is the Deputy Chief Allied Health Professional Officer; she works for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in the Department of Health and Social Care; leading work to champion the contribution of the 14 Allied Health Professions, Fire, Ambulance and Police services to improving the public’s health across England.

Linda has previously worked as a consultant dietitian as well as in commissioning and service management.  She has experience of working in and with Local Authority, NHS, private sector, research and education organisations.

Follow Linda on twitter @hindlelinda

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I have worked as a social worker and probation officer, with children, young people and adults. From 2002 entered management and strategic roles, which included working as a Commissioner in areas including Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, CAMHS, Drug & Alcohol. I have also worked as a specialist Mental Health and LD Clinical Advisor with the CQC, reviewing and implementing Quality Standards in Mental Health, Dementia and Learning Disabilities services.

I have worked for BEH since April 2022 in the Social Care. I am the Trust lead for the Multi-Professional Approved Clinician programme, and this is the focus of my presentation today.

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I have been the Service Director of Noclor since 2005 and overseen the development of the service from being the R&D office for one mental health Trust and 5 PCTs to managing the research for 6 mental health and community Trusts and 2 ICB areas across North West, North Central and East London. I am a member of the advisory board for the newly established Institute of Mental Health at UCL and sit on the UCL BRC mental health theme executive as well as being a member of the R&D Forum primary care working group. I am currently the mental health specialty lead for the North Thames CRN.

I am deeply committed to Noclor’s partner organisations vision and strategies for research; they are all underpinned by a firm commitment to promote research throughout their organisations as an essential factor in continually improving the effectiveness of health services and patient outcomes.

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Jackie Petersen has worked for Camden and Islington Trust since 2017*, working clinically in a variety of acute mental health wards. She is the Hospital Division Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead for Acute and Services for Aging Mental Health (SAMHS).

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I joined Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust in January 2021 as Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist for Services for Ageing and Mental Health and I work in Camden Older People’s Community Mental Health Team.

In December 2022 I began the NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Internship which supports AHPs in research and can be the starting point on a career that combines clinical work with academic research.

If you want to get in touch then I’d love to hear from you on Miriam.Brennan@candi.nhs.uk or on Twitter @miriambren.

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BEH Conference - Preceptorship Hannah Tomkins

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NLMHP AHP PowerPoint June 23 - Alice June

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AHPs role in improving the public’s health

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Research and Innovation - Miriam Brennan ppt

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Border - LibKey Nomad Letter Handout - Dec 2022 blue bar

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Doctors Resources Brochure - 30 Jan 2023

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DynaMed Application Install MDM WS1 - Service Desk Guide for Android Enterprise Enrolled Device. 2022 11 01

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Library Services booklet - March 2023 - print copy

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Lea Fielding has worked for Camden and Islington trust since 2019, working clinically in acute mental health and specialising in Psychiatric Intensive Care. She is the Hospital Division Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) and Rehabilitation wards

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About Jim Lucas:

Jim Lucas is an ACT Therapist based in UK who works in private practice and higher education. He is an accredited Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist with British Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Psychotherapies and a Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychology at University of Birmingham.

Jim lives and works in Birmingham, UK's 2nd largest city and 'city of 1000 trades.' He runs a psychology business called Openforwards, which specialises in supporting people who work in healthcare, education and other helping professions. As well as offering individual therapy, Jim takes an interest in delivering training to teams of practitioners on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and wellbeing. He is an ACBS peer-reviewed ACT Trainer and runs his own monthly podcast called Self-Help-Sat-Nav.

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Jim Lucas is an ACT Therapist based in UK who works in private practice and higher education. He is an accredited Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist with British Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Psychotherapies and a Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychology at University of Birmingham.

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Slides: Jackie Peterson and Lea Fielding

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Slides: Jackie Peterson and Lea Fielding

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Joanne Harris is the AHP Strategic Placement Lead at LSBU. Since qualifying as a Therapeutic Radiographer in 2008 from the University of Portsmouth, Joanne has been actively involved in practice education and workforce development. In 2019, Joanne was awarded a PgDip in Healthcare Education from Sheffield Hallum University.

Within her current role, Joanne is focusing on the quality of practice-based learning. Some key developments linked to this are the creation of a practice educator community of practice and a soon to be launched student placement experience collaborative.

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Introduce Yourself and Chat with Other AHPs

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Introduce Yourself and Chat with Other AHPs

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Don't be shy!

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Hi, I'm Aliya. I'm a MSc Physiotherapy Pre-Registration student at LSBU.

Myself and my colleague, Kemal created this forum whilst at placement to connect AHPs to one another. We hope you enjoy this space and find it useful.

Please feel free to add who you are, your profession and interact with one another in the comments.

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Hello. We are Shamaya and Camilla OT and Therapy lead, Enfield and Haringey respectively

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Hi! We are Felicity a Podiatrist (in white) and Hannah a Physiotherapist (in black) and we are delivering a talk in Breakout 2: Clinical session (room K405)

Come chat with us about all things AHP and Preceptorship!

Thanks for allowing us to attend and present 🫶🏻

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Hi I'm Ruth, Occupational Therapist from Candi & RCOT London Region Vice Chair.

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Hi everyone, I'm Tanya Davis AHP Lead at BEH. I am SO excited to welcome you all today to our first AHP Partnership conference. It's going to be AMAZING!

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Hi everyone, I'm Tanya Davis AHP Lead at BEH. I am SO excited to welcome you all today to our first AHP Partnership conference. It's going to be AMAZING!

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Hey everyone! Hannah Cox here. Music Therapist at Camden and Islington trust working at Highgate Mental Health Centre and St Pancras Hospital ☺️ Look forward to meeting people!

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Hi, I am Jessica Aka, Falls and Practice Development Lead for C&I. I am an OT by background. Looking forward to meeting you today!

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Hi I’m Talya Bruck a Dramatherapist from Barnet CAMHS

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What are the most important qualities or skills as an AHP in the MH setting? Click the link below and submit your answers!

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What are the most important qualities or skills as an AHP in the MH setting? Click the link below and submit your answers!

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Scan the QR Code or join at slido.com with #2011770.
They are available to access from 07/06/23-13/06/23

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Council for Allied Health Professionals Research

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Council for Allied Health Professionals Research

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Council for Allied Health Professions Research

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Council for Allied Health Professions Research

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CAHPR is a recognized Professional Network of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), which provides this website. The CSP is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK's 64,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/all-our-health-personalised-care-and-population-health

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All Our Health is a call to action for all healthcare professionals to use their skills and relationships to maximise their impact on avoidable illness, health protection and promotion of wellbeing and resilience.

All Our Health e-learning sessions

Interactive All Our Health e-learning sessions, written by PHE and developed by Health Education England's e-Learning for Healthcare, are available to increase the knowledge, confidence and skills of all health and care professionals in embedding prevention in their day to day practice.

Further comments can be sent to allourhealth@phe.gov.uk.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to make improvements against wider factors that affect health and wellbeing and health inequalities.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to help people live healthy lifestyles, make healthy choices and reduce health inequalities.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to protect the population's health from major incidents and other threats.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to help people stay independent, maximising wellbeing and improving health outcomes.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to reduce premature deaths and the number of people living with preventable ill health.

Guidance and evidence to enable healthcare professionals to reduce the impact of health challenges at key life stages to improve population health.

Guidance to support healthcare professionals in their role to commission and deliver integrated services to local populations.

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All Our Health: personalised care and population health

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All Our Health is a call to action for all healthcare professionals to use their skills and relationships to maximise their impact on avoidable illness, health protection and promotion of wellbeing and resilience.

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https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/resources/allied-health-professionals-hub.html

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This hub provides resources for Allied Health Professions including Art, Drama and Music therapists, Chiropodists/podiatrists, Dietitians, Occupational therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Osteopaths, Paramedics and radiographers

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My role in tackling health inequalities: a framework for allied health professionals | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)

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e-Learning for healthcare: Embedding Public Health into Clinical Services

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e-Learning for healthcare: Embedding Public Health into Clinical Services

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Embedding Public Health into Clinical Services - elearning for healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk)

https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Catalogue/Index?HierarchyId=0_41737_42670&programmeId=41737

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RSPH | Driving forward social prescribing: A framework for Allied Health Professionals

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Something beautiful it is

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Donate today, change the world tomorrow.

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Donate today, change the world tomorrow.

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Donate - Mind

You can find out more about this wonderful charity and their extraordinary achievements by clicking the link below:
Mind annual report and accounts 2021/22 - Mind

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Preceptorship - Oxleas AHP Preceptorship

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Oxleas Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Preceptorship Programme Welcome to the Oxleas AHP Preceptorship Programme, a programme for newly qualified Allied Health Professionals. We understand that the transition from 'student' to 'newly qualified practitioner' can be a daunting experience, so we have developed this programme to support you at the beginning of your career.

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Introducing HEE's AHP Support Workforce Programme

The Allied Health Professions Support Workforce plays an important role in delivering safe and effective care for service users across health and care. We have spoken to members of the AHP workforce, and they have shared their thoughts and concerns with us.

We need to ensure that our AHP support workforce have the right knowledge and skills, are supported by training and education, and have access to opportunities for career progression. This will ensure that patients, service users and their families and carers have access to a skilled and well-trained workforce.

We are working collaboratively with employers, NHS England, royal colleges, professional bodies, Trade unions and stakeholders to achieve our programme aims.

The national AHP Support Workforce have developed this short animation, which provides further information:

Support workers, senior support workers, assistants and assistant practitioners work in, with and alongside the allied health professions (AHPs), providing high quality, life changing care across a range of acute and community services.

However, from our work with support workers and services across the country we know there is wide variation in their education and training, and how they are deployed.

You can join in on the conversation on social media, by using the hashtag #AHPsupportworkers

AHP Support Worker Career Portfolio

Document is intended to aid AHP Support Workers throughout their career pathway and also act as a formal record of achievement. It will help clarify role boundaries and allow space for recording formal and informal learning.

Catalogue (learninghub.nhs.uk) - in the Support worker section

AHP support workforce programme

The national AHP support workforce programme held a celebration webinar in December 2022 which these visual minutes capture. AHP support worker voices were at the heart of this event demonstrating their leadership, collaboration, diversity, career progression thirst and patient centred care. There were 7 AHP support worker presenters alongside arm's length body national & regional colleagues. These visual minutes encapsulate the essence of the AHP support workforce showcasing their brilliance and shining a spotlight on their roles and crucial value in our NHS. The first national AHP support worker awards were held within this event with over 460 nominations from across England for our 4 award categories - outstanding leadership, supporting our people, reaching your potential and positive, compassionate & inclusive award. We had 56 shortlisted nominees and 9 winners from across all our AHPs, clinical pathways and geography.

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Developing the role of AHP Support Workers

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Introducing HEE's AHP Support Workforce Programme The Allied Health Professions Support Workforce plays an important role in delivering safe and effective care for service users across health and care. We have spoken to members of the AHP workforce, and they have shared their thoughts and concerns with us.

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We will be located in the Keyworth Centre at LSBU. The closest underground station is Elephant and Castle. 

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🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭

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🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭 https://t.co/aWWoHc7YnL

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🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭 pic.twitter.com/aWWoHc7YnL
— Ripal Patel (@patelr_1) May 30, 2023

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🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭 https://t.co/aWWoHc7YnL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭 https://t.co/aWWoHc7YnL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
🚨Teaser Alert🚨Excited to open our forthcoming conference with this wonderful video showcasing the key contribution of our ⁦@BEHMHTNHS⁩ ⁦@CI_NHS⁩ #AHP community to the care of people with #mentalhealth needs across ⁦⁦⁦@NCL_ICS⁩ & beyond. Are YOU ready?!🤭

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AHP Educator Career Framework | Council of Deans of Health

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Welcome to the new Allied Health Professionals Educator Career Framework, commissioned by Health Education England, now NHS England. Designed for all AHPs at all career stages, this framework seeks to support a sustainable and high-quality educator workforce both in practice and in academic settings…

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Camilla Cox is a British trained and working Occupational Therapist, who since graduating in 2004 from Queen Margaret University College, Scotland, has worked in mental health services in the UK and Trinidad and Tobago.

Camilla has practiced clinically in the areas of forensics, community, inpatient services and eating disorders.

In Camilla’s current role as OT and Therapy Lead for Haringey, BEH MHT, North London,  she is the divisional lead for AHPs, manages teams and works to build close formalised partnerships with voluntary sector organisations with the aim of improving access to mental health care within the community.

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Use this template to record your CPD from the conference in line with HCPC standards

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Use this template to record your CPD from the conference in line with HCPC standards

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We are AHPs!

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Read our Research Governance and Ethical principles online, to underpin all research into occupational therapy. Log in or register as a member for access.

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AHPPreceptorship | Twitter, Instagram, TikTok | Linktree

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View AHPPreceptorship's Linktree. Listen to their music on YouTube, Spotify here.

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The Chronically Underfunded Mental Health Sector

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The Chronically Underfunded Mental Health Sector

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According to the NHS Confederation, the proportion of children and young people with a mental disorder has jumped from 1 in 9 in 2017, to 1 in 6 in 2020. Yet only about a third of them are able to access the specialist services they need.

Today in the UK mental health problems account for 28% of the burden of disease but only receive 13% of NHS funding. Can you make the difference?

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Council of Deans of Health release new report, Anti-racism in AHP Education: Building an Inclusive Environment. | Council of Deans of Health

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NHS England » Greener Allied Health Professional hub

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As the third largest clinical workforce in the NHS, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) play an important role in Delivering a Net Zero NHS.

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AHP Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework

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AHP Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework

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This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to our use of cookies.

Creating a new NHS England: Health Education England, NHS Digital and NHS England have merged. Learn more

You are here

This framework enables employers, networks, integrated care systems (ICSs) and services effectively plan, develop, and deploy their AHP support workforce. It provides guidance on training, education and competencies for AHP support workers and demonstrates a clear pathway for recruitment and progression, with common and transferrable skills across eight domains.

Click here to view the AHP Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework document Implementing the framework
Implementation of the framework by employers will ensure that AHP support workers can achieve standardised levels of competency and access relevant training and development. Their roles will then become more consistent across England, ensuring that service users receive high quality care.

Over the next 12 months we will be running a series of national webinars to support this work.

All NHS trusts have been offered a one-off financial support for the first phase of the implementation of the framework as part of the national roll out.

The first phase of implementation requires trusts to:

scope their current workforce supporting AHP services

map this workforce against the education recommendations in the framework

carry out a gap analysis and training needs assessment

support data and evidence for further national priorities and activity through use of the readiness toolkit

participate in regular webinars/community of practice events.

We have also provided funding to AHP Faculties in 2021/22 to support the implantation of the framework, including:

use the readiness toolkit to review and develop associated action plans

engage with AHP support workers across faculty workstreams

map relevant local further and higher education provision

support NHS trusts, for example through local workshops and events

identify and develop a minimum of 5 exemplar case studies within the ICS

engage with wider ICS plans for Grow Your Own and healthcare support workers.

We have published and curated several resources to support the implementation of the framework.

We have also launched a nationally-led procurement process, focusing on the Level 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker and Level 5 Assistant Practitioner apprenticeships for the AHP support workforce.
How the framework was developed
The framework was developed by King's College London, working with HEE and AHP professional bodies. Support worker job descriptions and person specifications from across the professions were gathered via the NHS Jobs website and systematically reviewed. Alongside this, existing education, competency and qualification frameworks, codes and standards were also reviewed. These included relevant apprenticeship standards, Health Technical Levels, professional body standards, the Core Competences of Healthcare Assistants in the European Union project outputs, Care Certificate, Skills for Health Career Framework, and NHS National Job Profiles.

A national consultation was carried out over the summer and nearly 200 AHP support workers, employers, and education providers took part and helped to shape the final framework.

The framework also builds on the development and implementation of the Maternity Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework.

Related Documents

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AHP Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework

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Click here to view the AHP Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework document Implementing the framework Implementation of the framework by employers will ensure that AHP support workers can achieve standardised levels of competency and access relevant training and development.

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Presentation by Meera Sharma, AHP Workforce Transformation Fellow, NHSE-WTE

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James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership

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James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership

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The James Lind Alliance (JLA) is a non-profit making initiative bringing patients, carers and clinicians together in JLA Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs). The JLA PSPs identify and prioritise unanswered questions or evidence uncertainties that they agree are the most important, so that health research funders are aware of the issues that matter most to the people who need to use the research in their everyday lives.

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The James Lind Alliance brings patients, carers and clinicians together to prioritise research questions for the benefit of health research funders.

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MOTION Research (For Mental Health Occupational Therapists)

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MOTION Research (For Mental Health Occupational Therapists)

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NHS England » The 14 allied health professions

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Find out more about the fourteen allied health professions:

Art Therapists

Art therapists use art as a form of psychotherapy to encourage clients to explore a variety of issues including emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions or physical illnesses.

People of all ages from children to the elderly, regardless of artistic experience, use art therapy in this way as an aid to supporting them with their particular concern. It is not a diagnostic tool but rather a mode of communication and expression.

Dramatherapists

Dramatherapists are both clinicians and artists that draw on their knowledge of both theatre/drama and therapy to use performance arts as a medium for psychological therapy. Clients are able to explore a wide variety of different issues and needs from autism and dementia to physical/sexual abuse and mental illness in an indirect way leading to psychological, emotional and social changes.

Dramatherapists can be found in many varying settings such as schools, mental health care, general health social care, prisons and in the voluntary sector.

Music therapists

Music therapists engage clients in live musical interaction so as to promote an individual's emotional wellbeing and improve their communication skills. Clients do not need to have any previous experience of playing a musical instrument (or even singing) as this established psychological clinical intervention utilises their unique connection to music and the relationship established with their therapist to help: develop and facilitate communication skills, improve self-confidence and independence, enhance self-awareness and awareness of others, and improve concentration and attention skills.

In particular, music therapy is an effective intervention for those clients who cannot speak due to disability, illness or injury as their psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative and social needs can be addressed through the musical interaction with their therapist.

Music therapy can be beneficial for individuals of all ages and physical abilities however, from new born babies in terms of establishing the parent-child bond to those receiving palliative, end-of-life care.

Chiropodists/podiatrists

Podiatrists provide essential assessment, evaluation and foot care for a wide range of patients with a variety of conditions both long term and acute. Many of these fall into high risk categories such as patients with diabetes, cerebral palsy, peripheral arterial disease and peripheral nerve damage where podiatric care is of vital importance.

Many podiatrists have become further specialised into either the area of biomechanics or surgery. Biomechanics is often associated with treating sports related injuries but spans across a wide range of conditions including children and the elderly.

Podiatric surgeons offer surgical interventions in all aspects of foot health management. Podiatrists work in both the community and acute settings and while many are employees of the NHS many podiatrists now provide healthcare services in the private sector.

Dietitians

Dietitians are the only qualified health professionals who assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutritional problems at an individual and wider public health level.

Uniquely, dietitians use the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease, which they translate into practical guidance to enable people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices. Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be regulated by law, and are governed by an ethical code to ensure that they always work to the highest standard.

Dietitians work in the NHS, private practice, industry, education, research, sport, media, public relations, publishing, government and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). Dietitians advise and influence food and health policy across the spectrum from government, to local communities and individuals.

Occupational therapists

Occupational therapists (OTs) work in the NHS, local authority social care services, housing, schools, prisons, voluntary and independent sectors, and vocational and employment rehabilitation services as well as in education and research. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages with a wide range of problems resulting from physical, mental, social or developmental difficulties.

OTs support people with a range of interventions to enable them to return to or optimise participation in all the things that people do; for example, caring for themselves and others, working, learning, playing and interacting with others. Being deprived of or having limited access to any or all of these occupations can affect physical and psychological health and hence OTs positively impact upon the wellbeing and rehabilitation of patients in most care pathways and in the broader public health and social care environment.

Operating Department Practitioners

Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) are highly skilled healthcare practitioners that support patients of all ages during each phase of the patient's perioperative care:

Anaesthetic - provide patient-centred care and prepare specialist equipment and drugs

Surgical - prepare all the necessary equipment and instruments for operations and providing these to the surgical team during the operation

Recovery - supporting the patient throughout their time in the recovery ward, assessing vitals and fitness for return to the ward

As well as providing this specialised care, ODPs are responsible for preparing the operating theatre and maintaining communication between the surgical team, operating theatre and wider hospital.

ODPs typically work in operating departments however their skills are increasingly being needed in other critical care areas within a hospital.

Orthoptists

Orthoptic clinical practice encompasses both diagnosis and treatment and is wide ranging. Orthoptists help premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity, children with reduced vision due to squint, adults and children with eye movement defects due to diabetes, hypertension, endocrine dysfunction, cancer, trauma and stroke. Extended scope orthoptic practitioners now work in high volume ophthalmic specialities such as glaucoma, cataract and age related macular degeneration.

Orthoptists work in acute hospital and community settings in health and education often as part of a multi-disciplinary medical, nursing and AHP team.

Osteopaths

Osteopaths take a holistic view of the structure and function of the body to diagnose and treat a wide variety of medical conditions. Their work is centered on the principle that the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues of an individual need to function smoothly together so as to maintain wellbeing.

Osteopaths use a number of non-invasive treatments such as touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to restore bodily equilibrium through increasing the mobility of joints, relieving muscle tension, enhancing blood and nerve supply to tissues, and encouraging an individual's own healing mechanisms.

Prosthetists and Orthotists

Prosthetists are autonomous registered practitioners who provide gait analysis and engineering solutions to patients with limb loss. They are extensively trained at undergraduate level in mechanics, bio-mechanics, and material science along with anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. Their qualifications make them competent to design and provide prostheses that replicate the structural or functional characteristics of the patients absent limb.

They treat patients with congenital loss as well as loss due to diabetes, reduced vascularity, infection and trauma. Whilst they are autonomous practitioners they usually work closely with physiotherapists and occupational therapists as part of multidisciplinary amputee rehabilitation teams.

Orthotists are autonomous registered practitioners who provide gait analysis and engineering solutions to patients with problems of the neuro, muscular and skeletal systems. They are extensively trained at undergraduate level in mechanics, bio-mechanics, and material science along with anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. Their qualifications make them competent to design and provide orthoses that modify the structural or functional characteristics of the patients' neuro-muscular and skeletal systems enabling patients to mobilise, eliminate gait deviations, reduce falls, reduce pain, prevent and facilitate the healing of ulcers.

They treat patients with a wide range of conditions including diabetes, arthritis, cerebral palsy, stroke, spina bifida, scoliosis, musculoskeletal, physiotherapy, sports injuries and trauma. Whilst they often work as autonomous practitioners they increasingly often form part of multidisciplinary teams such as within the diabetic foot team or neuro-rehabilitation team.

Paramedics

Paramedics are the senior ambulance service healthcare professionals at an accident or a medical emergency. Often working by themselves, paramedics are responsible for assessing the patient's condition and then giving essential treatment. They use high-tech equipment such as defibrillators, spinal and traction splints and intravenous drips, as well as administering oxygen and drugs.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapy uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, working through partnership and negotiation with individuals to optimise their functional ability and potential.

Physiotherapists address problems of impairment, activity and participation and manage recovering, stable and deteriorating conditions - particularly those associated with the neuro-muscular, musculo-skeletal, cardio-vascular and respiratory systems - through advice, treatment, rehabilitation, health promotion and supporting behavioural change.

Physiotherapy uses manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, the application of electro-physical modalities and other physical approaches in response to individual need. Physiotherapists work across sectors and settings, including acute, community and workplace settings, and with a large number of population and patient groups including children, the working population, and older people.

Speech and language therapists

Speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the UK work with children and adults to help them overcome or adapt to a vast array of disorders of speech, language, communication and swallowing.

These include helping young children to access education, working with young offenders to enable them to access the programmes designed to reduce reoffending, reducing life-threatening swallowing problems in the early days after stroke and providing essential support to adults with a range of acquired neurological communication difficulties to help them return to work, and their roles in their family and society.

Radiographers

Diagnostic radiographers

Diagnostic radiographers use a range of techniques to produce high quality images to diagnose an injury or disease. They are responsible for providing safe and accurate imaging examinations and increasingly also the resulting report. Diagnostic imaging is a component of the majority of care pathways.

Radiographers are also key team members in Breast Screening and Ultrasound monitoring of pregnancy.

Therapeutic radiographers

Therapeutic radiographers play a vital role in the treatment of cancer. They are also responsible as they are the only health professionals qualified to plan and deliver radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is used either on its own or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy.

Therapeutic radiographers manage the patient pathway through the many radiotherapy processes, providing care and support for patients throughout their radiotherapy treatment.

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Find out more about the fourteen allied health professions: Art therapists use art as a form of psychotherapy to encourage clients to explore a variety of issues including emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions or physical illnesses.

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Shamaya Robinson works as the Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Professional Lead for Enfield, BEH.

Shamaya aims to raise the profile of AHPs in the division and bring the group together to provide a patient centred service.

Shamaya works with colleagues to build a quality improvement project to explore ways to increase the diversity of the AHP workforce. As part of this work Shamaya also co-facilitates a reflective space which feeds into this project to enhance opportunities and address the adversity that Black and minority ethnicity AHP’s face in the workplace.

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The AHP Strategy for England: AHP's Deliver

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The AHP Strategy for England: AHP's Deliver

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Allied Health Professionals in mental health | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)

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Education: Inclusion - PBL for Neurodivergent Students

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Education: Inclusion - PBL for Neurodivergent Students

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AHP - Website Content - Guide to Practice-Based Learning (PBL) for Neurodivergent Students.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

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Current role: Advanced Occupational Therapist, Haringey Community Rehabilitation Team (Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust)

Since qualifying as an OT in 2018, I have worked in NHS mental health services in London including at HMP Pentonville, the Islington Early Intervention in Psychosis and in the Haringey Community Rehabiliation Team.

I have been involved with the BEH BAME AHP working group and reflective group since commencing my current role which has allowed me to be part of important conversations about equality and in initiating and maintaining change within the organisation.