Saturday 14 October is Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Day! A day to understand and celebrate the work of our amazing AHPs. There are 14 Allied Health Professions in the UK, such as podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists. Allied Health Professionals have specialised skills and knowledge that enable them to provide high-quality health and care services to patients of all ages and abilities.
We’ve caught up with Heather Cameron, Director of Allied Health Professionals in NHS Lothian, to find out more about the work she does.
What made you want to become an AHP?
Honestly, I pretty much stumbled across it by chance as I had never considered a health care career and was all set to study engineering at university.
However, as a competitive swimmer I was lucky enough to meet some physiotherapists through my club and their life sounded fun – travelling the world and working with athletes!
So, I decided to find out more by shadowing physiotherapists in the NHS and was amazed at the breadth of people that physiotherapists worked with across and the range of conditions from neurological to respiratory, orthopaedics and mental health. You name it physiotherapists were working there, changing people’s lives for the better. Hearing directly from patients about the impact the physiotherapist had on their lives was inspiring and my mind was made up.
Being a physiotherapist has given me so many opportunities and although this did indeed include some world travel and working with athletes, my career has been mainly in the NHS working with those with long-term conditions. At times it has been tough, challenging, frustrating but above all it has been incredibly rewarding and I have never regretted my career choice – and yes, it’s been fun!
Why do you think it’s important to recognise the work AHPs do?
As AHP Director I am so proud of the impact that I know our AHP staff have on a daily basis. The influence they have on improving lives is profound but perhaps the contribution that they make is not always recognised. Sometimes referred to as the unsung heroes – I’m keen we get singing.
Together, AHPs are the third largest staff group in health and care. We work in a variety of settings and across the whole lifespan from antenatal health and early years right through to palliative and end of life care.
AHPs are highly trained individuals who work autonomously but also as part of multidisciplinary teams to diagnose, treat, rehabilitate and prevent; we are experts in communication and in optimising both physical and mental health.
As a multi-faceted group of professionals who have a key role in meeting the breadth of our population’s healthcare needs, AHPs support people to live their best life and live it well.
So really one day a year where we encourage everyone to celebrate, appreciate, inspire and connect with AHPs is a very small ask!
What do you like most about your job?
Changing lives for the better has always been what gives me greatest job satisfaction. As a clinical physiotherapist, this would involve working with individual patients and now as Director of Allied Health Professionals, I get to do it on a wider population basis.
It really is a great privilege to be the professional lead for our 2,500 AHPs that work across Lothian. There are many facets to my job including governance and standards and ensuring best practice but what gives me greatest satisfaction is creating the conditions that support our AHP staff to flourish. Supporting our staff development, creating career opportunities and ensuring they feel valued translates into delivering services that support individuals, families and communities to live well. Who wouldn’t like that as their job?
What would you say to people who are thinking about getting into this field of work?
If you are interested in people and want a rewarding career where you make a difference to people’s lives, then one of the allied health professions may be just what you are looking for. Look for work experience, shadowing or volunteering opportunities to help understand more about the individual professions.
Some of our professions are more technical, others more creative. Some are quite “hands -on” whilst other involve more listening and speaking. All involve working with people. So, whatever your interest or passion there is an AHP profession for you.
We know there are many challenges facing health and care services, however this also brings great opportunities to be innovative and think differently. Allied Health Professionals are at the forefront of meeting these challenges so I would say come and join us on the journey – you won’t regret it.
