Ahead of Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Day, which takes place on 14 October 2021, Barts Health NHS Trust has released details of a number of celebratory and informational events.
The trust says that the dedicated day is “an opportunity to shine a light on our AHP colleagues at Barts Health who provide vital services to our patients.”
Explaining that the AHPs workforce is made up of 14 different professions – which include a wide range of careers and roles such as arts therapists, paramedics, physiotherapists and dieticians – Barts adds that “the purpose of AHPs Day is to appreciate and celebrate their enormous contribution and commitment to our patients’ care as an essential part of our healthcare teams.”
Rachel Dalton, Director of AHPs at Barts Health, said: “Here at Barts Health I could not be prouder of our AHP workforce and their contribution over the past year to not only our COVID response but also maintaining their essential services and the recovery effort. All this has been done whilst simultaneously supporting the development of our future workforce.
“It is exciting to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate the AHP contribution on National AHPs Day (and indeed every day).”
Ahead of 14 October, the trust has released a number of articles to help its staff gain insight into the variety of roles, featuring experiences and interviews from AHPs across its hospitals – including a speech and language therapist and an orthoptist.
Barts Health has also published a ‘did you know?’ list of AHP facts, which explains that AHPs are ‘the third largest workforce in the NHS’ and that there are ‘nearly 1,100 AHPs across Barts Health’.
On Allied Health Professions Day, a selection of AHPs will be sharing ‘a day in the life’ through the trust’s Twitter accounts at the Newham, St Bartholomew’s, Royal London and Whipps Cross hospitals.
While a selection of virtual NHS events will also go ahead on the day, including a Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) address from Suzanne Rastrick, who is the CAHPO for England, and a live stream of the CAHPO Awards.
AHPs Day has been an annual event since 2018. To take part, find out more about the event’s history and its purpose through NHS England’s website, or follow #AHPsDay on Twitter.
