Saturday 14 October is AHPs’ Day. Allied Health Professions (AHPs) include a huge range of staff that care for people’s health and wellbeing. Within our trust, it includes:
- dietitians
- occupational therapists
- speech and language therapists
- physiotherapists
- art psychotherapists
- music therapy students
We also have professionals employed in other roles:
- paramedics
- drama therapist
Our AHPs have knowledge to support people to take control of their health and wellbeing.
Each AHP plays a key role in the team they are in, which explains why AHPs are the third largest clinical workforce in the NHS.
Celebrating our success
Read about some of the good news from our AHPs across the Trust.
Speech and Language therapy
Our speech and language therapy clinical lead, Hannah Fairbairn, has developed a creative writing course with patients from our secure inpatient service at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough.
Hannah was keen to find a new group that would be meaningful but also not something they have tried before. This is a true example of co-creation with some excellent aims – increasing communicative and reflective skills, narrative structure and vocabulary, emotional literacy and self esteem.
At the end of the course, the stories will be compiled into a book which will be designed by patients and published.
She was even interviewed by BBC Radio Tees!
Dietetics
Our dietetics team, patients and colleagues in our secure inpatient service at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough, created the Ridgeway recipe book.
It includes a selection of healthy meals and tips and suggestions for breakfast, lunch and snacks alongside the ingredients and utensils needed for cooking each dish.
A copy of the book is on each ward in Ridgeway and encourages patients to try cooking.
Occupational Therapy
Rachel Booth-Gardiner will pick up a merit award from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists for her contributions to the profession.
Rachel’s personal journey with cerebral palsy (right hemiplegia) from birth, along with her later diagnosis of dyslexia, has provided her with a unique understanding and firsthand experience of disability and neurodiversity. In 2013, she created a blog called ‘the art of occupation’ where she openly shares her lived experiences.
In 2015, Rachel joined the team behind #OTalk, a weekly twitter chat that fosters discussions on occupational therapy. She played a pivotal role in developing this invaluable resource for occupational therapy professionals and students.
Music therapy
We now have a music therapist working within the Trust, who recently held a session on our Westerdale wards for older people at Roseberry Park Hospital.
Both the patients and staff have the best time and look forward to her visits. One patient with dementia was able to talk all about his past love of music at the mention of the ‘music lady’, which is so heart-warming to see.
Meet our chief AHP and associated professionals officer
Amy Smith
Amy was interested in health care from a young age. Volunteering as a befriender as well as supporting her gran who was living with Alzheimer’s led her to train in occupational therapy.
She says: “I completed my occupational therapy degree at Teesside university and one of my favourite placements was within Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust services. I enjoyed it so much that I returned after graduating and began working in MHSOP community services.”
Amy started a new role as Chief Allied Health Professionals (CAHPO) officer at the end of 2022. This is a new role in our organisation. The CAHPO role is an integral part of our Therapies senior leadership team overseeing the delivery of high-quality AHP, social work and peer services. The role ensures we provide the highest quality outcomes, and ensuring that strategic objectives are set and achieved, in line with regional and national AHP strategic direction.
To find out more about the services our AHPs work in, visit our services webpages.
