Today is National AHPs' day!
Allied Health Professions (AHP) Day is celebrated across England on 14th October. It's the perfect opportunity for AHP teams across the country to connect and celebrate their roles.
AHPs are the third largest clinical workforce within the healthcare sector, and play an important role in supporting the day to day activities within SaTH as well as the NHS Long Term Plan. You can find out more about the history of AHP day on the NHS England website.
So, what is an AHP?
AHPs are usually degree level professionals working within healthcare, and are usually registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The exception to this is Osteopaths who are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council.
There are currently 15 registered AHP professions;
- Art Therapists
- Diagnostic Radiographers
- Dietitians
- Drama Therapists
- Music Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Operating Department Practitioners
- Orthoptists
- Osteopaths
- Paramedics
- Physiotherapists
- Podiatrists
- Prosthetists and orthotists
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Therapeutic Radiographers
At SaTH, we have a number of these professionals working alongside the rest of our clinical teams to deliver the best possible care for our patients.
In celebration of National AHP Day 2024, we spoke to some of them about their roles and working at SaTH:
Ayodele - Physiotherapist
Ayodele joined SaTH in 2022 as a Band 6 Specialist Physiotherapist, having previously worked in Nigeria as a physiotherapist since 2008. He wanted to move to the UK to continue his practice because he wanted to improve upon his existing skills by joining a place where he could receive mentoring from experience practitioners.
"The healthcare system here in the UK is better compared to where I have worked back in Nigeria, and there are many things here that we don't have back home. I wanted to experience working ass a physiotherapist at a higher level, whilst continuing to learn. I feel that working here has given me a better opportunity and I think I am a better physio now."
When asked what aspect of his role does he enjoy the most, Ayodele said; "When you see someone who may be struggling, and when you are able to do what you need to as a physio and you see the improvement in the patient. Sometimes, this may be an immediate result or it can take longer, but at the end of the day you see the improvement you've made to their life and that is extremely rewarding - it's the whole point of being a physio to me."
Ayodele has been to a few places in the UK with his family, but particularly loves living in Shrewsbury. "For me this is the best place to raise my young kids, it's a relatively quiet town and is very peaceful. It's easy to get around, and is a much more serene place to live compared to a city. I also really like to go to the Quarry park, take a walk along the riverside and enjoy the flower gardens in the Dingle. My children also really love the park there!"
Ayodele has recently been successful in securing a Band 7 Physiotherapist post here at SaTH, which he starts in this week. For anyone interested in a career in Physiotherapy, he had this to say; "Physio is very diverse, there are a lot of different aspects to it. You get to meet a diverse group of patients, helping them with whatever they need to improve their quality of life. Therapy is a huge part of making this happen, it's a really interesting role and is really rewarding."
You can find out more about Physiotherapy careers on the NHS Health Careers website.
Lucy - Operating Department Practitioner
"My name is Lucy, and I'm a newly qualified ODP. I have recently joined SaTH in June 2024, following completing some of my student placements here and loving it. I've found the team to be really friendly and supportive, and I've also had exposure to lots of situations that have helped me with my learning."
"In 2019 a family member needed life saving surgery, and I was utterly amazed and intrigued at how a team came together to save their life - I wanted to become a part of it so that I could help others. I started out as a Theatre Support Worker at RJAH and found out about the ODP apprenticeship. I applied because I wanted a new challenge and to progress my career. I'm currently working in Recovery at SaTH looking after patients who have undergone a surgical procedure. I love the team that I work with, and I also really enjoy caring for our patients."
"On a typical day I do bay safety checks, cleaning, stocking up, drug checks, morning briefings, recover patients, take them back to the ward and handover to the nurse."
"If anyone is thinking about a career at SaTH, I would say that it is hard work but ther are so many benefits and it opens doors to other potential roles as well. You gain a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills that you will carry with you for the rest of your life, and the training you receive is fantastic!"
Lizzie - Community Dietitian
Lizzie (pictured left) had previously worked as a dietitian for 8 years after graduating and held the role of diabetes specialist dietitian. In 2016, a year after her daughter was born, Lizzie suffered a stroke. "It was a very difficult time, which gave me a new appreciation of the needs and challenges faced by those who rely on the NHS for emergency and ongoing care."
"After six months I returned to work but it soon became clear to me that I was not well enough to continue, and I made the tough decision to leave work and focus on my recovery and my daughter."
After 4 years, Lizzie decided she wanted to work as a dietitian again and embarked upon her ‘Return to Practice’ journey.
"I approached the Dietetic department at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital and started working as a dietetic assistant practitioner in the Macmillan Integrated Therapies Service. I used the experiences obtained in this role to update my skills and complete the ‘Return to Practice’ process, and I now work as a community dietitian in the home enteral feeding service. I work closely with patients and carers to ensure people receive optimal nutrition via their feeding tube -it is a very varied and rewarding role."
"The ‘return to practice’ process initially felt very daunting, but I found there were different initiatives that provide support with the journey. I would encourage people to embark on this journey if they are considering returning to a previous profession and would be happy to share more details of my experience."
If you are interested in returning to practice, please contact sath.recruitment@nhs.net in the first instance, and we will be happy to direct your enquiry to the relevant department.
For a full list of our current AHP vacancies, please visit our jobs page.
