NTW is showcasing the vital and varied contribution made by our Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) who work across the Trust to help our service users live life as fully as possible, as part of celebrating National AHPs Day on Monday 15 October.
There are fourteen AHP professions in the UK and AHPs form the third largest workforce in health and care.
NTW is celebrating the dedication, enthusiasm, expertise and skills of its occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, arts psychotherapists and dietitians.
The work of AHPs is also a crucial part of the Trust’s overall strategic ambitions which include promoting prevention, early intervention and resilience, providing ‘joined up’ services and being a centre of excellence for mental health and disability.
Our Allied Health Professionals make a vital contribution every day to the rehabilitation, re-ablement and wellbeing of service users across the Trust. I’m delighted that we are celebrating the dedication, commitment and hard work of all our AHPs this month as part of National AHPs Day. I would urge anyone who is interested in finding out more about this area of our work to visit one of our AHPs day information stands on 15 October.
Dr Esther Cohen-TovéeDirector of AHPs and Psychological Services
National AHPs Day is an opportunity for AHPs across the UK to showcase and celebrate their contributions to healthcare. NTW’s celebrations include stands and displays on 15 October at five of the Trust’s main sites: St Nicholas Hospital, St George’s Park, Walkergate Park, Monkwearmouth Hospital and Hopewood Park.
At all these locations AHP colleagues will be on hand throughout the day to raise awareness of their roles and the highly valued contribution they make to service users and carers, in partnership with their multidisciplinary colleagues.
The Trust will also be sharing information about AHPs throughout the day on the NTW Facebook Page and on Twitter using the hashtag #AHPsDay.
The AHP Day celebrations come as NTW prepares to host a dedicated AHPs Conference later this year on Tuesday 27 November, which includes a keynote address by Suzanne Rastrick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for NHS England.
AHPs at NTW
NTW employs clinicians in five of the fourteen allied health professions in the UK:
- Occupational therapists (OTs) provide therapeutic groups and activities for people who have difficulty carrying out daily activities because of disability, illness, trauma, ageing or long term conditions
- Physiotherapists work with people to help with a range of problems which affect movement using exercise, massage and other techniques
- Speech and language therapists provide treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing
- Arts psychotherapists use the creative arts to help people recognise and deal with their emotional and behavioural issues, build their self-awareness and self-confidence
- Dietitians support the management of nutrition in health and mental health care. They also translate the science of nutrition into accessible information, to support staff, service users and carers</p>
More information is available in the Trust’s current Allied Health Professionals Strategy