#AHPsDay will showcase impact of allied health professionals services locally and nationally

Their initiative is planned for National AHP Day on 15 October, an opportunity for allied health professionals across the UK to showcase and celebrate their contributions to healthcare.

At the Royal Oldham, all the hospital’s allied health professionals – including 20 physiotherapists – will join forces for a series of events across the hospital.

‘The day will be a marketplace for AHPs,’ said Joanne Ellins, a pain specialist physiotherapist in the hospital’s musculoskeletal outpatients department.

‘We have designed it around the different areas of the hospital. In outpatients, the physios will have a stand in the gym with information for staff about our services, how they are developing and how to refer patients.’

There will also be stands in general surgery, medicine, urgent care, women’s and children’s services, vascular and diabetes, and critical care.

Physiotherapists on the orthopaedics department stand are expected to share the results of their recent clinical audit of preventing pressure sores.

The musculoskeletal care training is one of a number of CPD events the AHPs will deliver to Royal Oldham staff. The others include transfer and assisted hoisting techniques, and amputee rehabilitation, taught by physiotherapists.

Meanwhile, the speech and language therapists will give an introduction to sign language.

Ms Ellins said the ideas for the day developed from the trust’s drive for integrated working, following restructuring which concluded this summer. Under new arrangements, the Royal Oldham and other hospitals became part of the Northern Care Alliance.

'Lack of understanding'

‘Also, there is a lack of understanding about appropriate referrals and the services we provide among other health professions, including junior doctors,’ said Ms Ellins.

‘We wanted to provide training for staff to help break down communications barriers within the hospital.’

The AHPs are advertising their special day with posters in wards, on the staff intranet and at team briefings with managers. They are using Royal Oldham’s Facebook page and Twitter feed to spread the message too.

Celebrating skills of AHPs

Joanne Fillingham, NHS Improvement’s clinical director for AHPs, said that AHP Day was not a top down initiative and it was up to everyone to get involved and celebrate the skills they bring to health and care.

‘We know that when AHPs come together, there is a real energy, enthusiasm and passion.

‘So we want you to talk to other AHPs in your organisation about how we can all celebrate the work that we do to make patient care great.’

She added that Royal Oldham’s ideas were particularly welcome: ‘They have found innovative ways of raising awareness and implementing improvements for patients by upskilling other professions.’