Abstract
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) working on public health and prevention benefit from a unique 4 UK nations alliance which enables shared learning and objective setting, ensuring a consistent approach across the UK.
There is an increasing understanding that the NHS must move towards a preventative model in order to meet the changing needs of the population we serve. AHPs have 5 million contacts per week across the UK . This makes us well placed to promote good health and wellbeing in our interactions with the people we meet. The UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework provides us with an agreed strategy to work to.
The 4 nations alliance is unique to AHPs, and arose after England initially developed its own strategy. The other UK nations became involved and agreed to develop a joint strategy. The board includes Chief AHP officers, AHP professional bodies, the AHP Federation, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
Our work is for all AHPs working across the UK. The purpose is to engage AHPs in the public health and prevention agenda, raising awareness and upskilling the workforce in order to improve population health outcomes.
The initial plan was developed via engagement of professionals across the 4 nations. Patient/public involvement is recognised as a key focus required in the development of the new strategy, and significant work has taken place already in England, looking at public perception and priorities in terms of the role of AHPs.
The alliance is supported by the Chief AHP Officers, and was established as national leads were identified to take forward the goals within the framework.
Examples of UK wide work, avoiding replication in each nation, include:
- Engagement of professional bodies on a ‘once for the UK’ basis
- RSPH UK wide health and work report
- Evidence reviews: Public health research priorities ; rapid review of the impact of AHPs on Health Inequalities ; Impact on primary and secondary prevention of obesity in children ; Public mental health wellbeing interventions delivered by AHPs
- Public Health curricula guidance applying to pre-registration AHP courses run in UK HEIs
- Sustainable healthcare curricula guidance applying to pre-registration AHP courses run in HEIs across the UK
- AHP public health/ prevention case study collation RSPH | Case Studies
- Early Years Prevention toolkit for AHPs heiw.nhs.wales/files/early-years-health-inequalities-toolkit/
- Publication of AHP Support Workforce - A guide to embedding public health in practice
What was the impact?
- Eliminates duplication of work by adopting a ‘once for all’ strategic approach
- Allows outcomes to be recorded and reported consistently across the UK
- Provides flexibility for nation specific focused priorities and implementation
The alliance offers peer support, an informal ‘sounding board’, a knowledge exchange platform and an accountability structure. We work towards the same goals.
The group are in the process of coproducing the next 5 year strategy. Going forward, Consideration could be given to broadening the network to include international AHP partners for shared learning and knowledge exchange.