Roles for OTs and Allied Health Professionals

Guidance has been developed to promote the Allied Health Professionals’ roles in delivering quality services

The National Allied Health Professional Advisory Board (England)

The National Allied Health Professional Advisory Board was set up to inform decision making within the Department of Health.  Many of the principles underlying achieving better outcomes for people with long term conditions, such as shared decision making, ensuring return to optimum function and promoting independence are fundamental for many Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), including occupational therapists, and it is important that decisions are influenced by this. The aims of NAHPAB include:

• to demonstrate the contribution of the AHP workforce both to improving health outcomes for people and to improving efficiency
• identify AHP workforce requirements to improve service quality

 
Further information is available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/HowDHworks/BoardsandCommittees/DH_127777 
 

Allied Health Professions Service Improvement Project (England)

This project , which was completed in 2011, gives examples of how  the quality and efficiency of AHP services can be improved.  As well as demonstrating some of the principles of QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention), the project also builds on the principles introduced in Framing the Contribution of Allied Health Professionals , such as reducing referral to treatment times, promoting leadership amongst AHPs and aligning the service with the needs of the local population. Useful examples of service improvement led by AHPs are available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_126840 
 

Framing the contribution of Allied Health Professionals (England) (2008)

Framing the contribution focuses on the importance of the services provided by this group of health care professionals. It promotes service improvement through making collection of referral to treatment data for AHP services mandatory, encourages self-referral, initially to physiotherapy, and highlights the importance of ‘front line’ staff working in partnership with their communities to improve services. The guidance also recommends health promotion and provision of care closer to home.  The full document is available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089513 
 
Note that Framing the contribution was published during the previous Labour administration.  
 

AHP Bulletin (England)

This newsletter is produced regularly and provides useful information and resources for AHPs.  To subscribe to the bulletin, visit http://ahp.dh.gov.uk 
 

Delivering Care Enabling Health Scotland (2006)

This strategy shows how nurses, midwives and Allied Health Professionals will continue to improve the experiences and outcomes of care for clients.
 
It aims to develop the education and research base for practice and to promote multi-disciplinary and multi agency working. Set in the context of increasing numbers of people living with long term conditions, it also focuses on health promotion, reducing health inequalities and increasing capacity of the workforce.
 
Visit the Scottish Government website and read Delivery Care Enabling Health Scotland.