Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Strategy
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – 2024 to 2029
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Foreword
Welcome to North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, (NCIC) Allied Health Professions (AHP) Strategy. I am extremely proud to work alongside such a wide range of AHPs to provide outstanding care to our patients and local community. The engagement events in the development of this strategy brought together the Allied Health Professions Strategy for England: AHPs Deliver, the Trust’s corporate strategy (2024-2029), The Long Term Workforce Plan, The People Promise and other key drivers to provide the basis for this document. The implementation plan will link with the Trust’s Clinical Strategy. The strategy is ambitious and aims to harness the unique skills of our AHPs, whilst outlining the opportunities for development and delivery for AHPs against each of NCICs Strategic Objectives.
I am proud to lead such a diverse professional group and I am excited to see how delivery of this strategy unfolds to support outstanding care for our population.
Dr Sarah Elliott
Associate Director of Allied Health Professions
Introduction
We are privileged and excited to introduce our AHP strategy for NCIC. This strategy has been developed over a number of months with workshops, interactions and comments from the full range of our AHP colleagues. The objectives developed align with the Trust’s corporate strategy but have been developed from the direct contributions made by everyone who shared their thoughts and ambitions for the future of our population and AHPs at NCIC. This strategy will play an integral role in the fulfilment of NCIC's focus and vision of moving care closer to home. The emphasis on emerging pathways of care and the development of specialist services will call upon the depth and breadth of AHPs skills and knowledge, use of evidence and research to design and deliver services that are reflective of modern healthcare.
The Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are the third largest clinical workforce in the health and care. NCIC employs over 600 AHPs and nearly 200 AHP support workers, plus a growing number of apprenticeships.
Of the 14 recognised AHP professions, the following work at NCIC:
DietitiansOperating Department Practitioners
Radiographers (Diagnostic)
Speech and Language Therapists
Whilst NHS England defines Allied Health Professionals exclusively relating to the area of regulation, at NCIC we have adopted an inclusive approach. In developing this strategy our AHP support workforce and administration and clerical teams have all made a valuable contribution.
AHPs provide system-wide care to assess, treat, diagnose, and discharge patients across social care, housing, education, and independent and voluntary sectors. Through adopting a holistic approach to healthcare, AHPs can help manage patients’ care throughout the life course from birth to palliative care. Their focus is on prevention and improvement of health and wellbeing to maximise the potential for individuals to live full and active lives within their family circles, social networks, education, training, and the workplace.
Cumbria is the third largest county in England by area. It is predominantly rural and contains the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage site. As an integrated organisation, NCIC provides hospital and community services to over half a million people of Cumbria delivering over 70 services across 50 main locations. In order to deliver, sustainable, joined-up high quality health and care services that maximise the health and well-being of the local population, AHPs at NCIC need to work collaboratively and beyond our traditional boundaries. This is articulated in AHPs Deliver (2022); it informs and inspires the system about how AHPs can best be utilised and support future healthcare and wellbeing service delivery.
Purpose of the AHP Strategy
Our vision as Allied Health Professionals at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is to work in collaboration with the population and our partners to prioritise safe, timely, high quality personalised health care and well-being for each individual, every time.
Our ambition is for NCIC to value and respect the unique contribution that Allied Health Professionals bring to the communities of North Cumbria. This will incorporate using cost effective prevention, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation to promote health, wellbeing and recovery whilst developing our AHP workforce in their capacity and capabilities to incorporate leadership, learning, research and innovation.
The purpose of the strategy is to:
- Provide a clear framework for all AHPs at NCIC to align and contribute to the work of NCIC in its ambition to become a nationally recognised centre for excellence for integrated rural and coastal medicine and care.
- To become a unified AHP voice and ensure that the value of AHP skills are fully utilised.
- Maximise the impact AHPs can have in addressing the Trust’s Strategic objectives and clinical strategy, AHPs Deliver, Long Term Workforce Plan and other key drivers.
- To highlight the contributions from AHPs to research and development on a local, regional and national level.
To help us achieve our ambition we have aligned the AHP values with NCICs four strategic objectives of: Our Patients, Our People, Our Partners and Our Pounds. These are under pinned by a number of supporting aims.
The AHP Strategy
Our Patients: We will be clinically led and through collaboration, co-production and communication promote improved outcomes for the people of North Cumbria.
Our People: We will be creative and ambitious in developing an inspiring, inclusive and diverse workforce now and for the future.
Our Partners: We will work with our partners to provide high quality services which are person-centred and accessible to all.
Our Pounds: We will be collaborative and innovative in generating and using our resources to ensure high quality care is delivered efficiently to maximise operational and environmental sustainability.
Our Patients
We will be clinically led and through collaboration, co-production and communication promote improved outcomes for the people of North Cumbria.
- AHPs will utilise the diverse skills of the workforce through the development of innovative roles including enhanced, advanced and consultant practice, integrated teams and seven day services to deliver the best possible care and health outcomes for our population.
- AHPs will work with our partners to improve the patient’s journey to access seamless care and streamline clinical and referral pathways. AHPs will utilise effective, streamlined systems to record AHP activity and standardise templates where able.
- AHPs will utilise technology to enhance user experience and the collation of outcome measure data.
- AHPs at NCIC will utilise the Making Every Contact Count approach to support the population make positive changes to their health and well-being.
- AHPs will educate and empower the local population.
Our People
We will be creative and ambitious in developing an inspiring, inclusive and diverse workforce now and for the future.
- AHPs will have an integrated workforce planning approach that spans all levels. This will utilise workforce data that will have long term benefit including widening participation and diversity, role expansion, succession planning and leadership development.
- AHPs will develop a retention strategy and action plan that embeds a four pillars approach to career development planning, identifies training needs whilst embedding AHP job planning, innovative recruitment, flexible working and role development.
- AHPs will work with educational institutions and others to promote career development for AHP professions, to develop and expand apprenticeships, training and placement opportunities. We will support return to practice and international recruitment opportunities to promote North Cumbria as a place to live, learn and work.
- AHPs will develop a psychologically safe and inclusive culture that is aligned with the Trust Values and NCIC way by empowering, listening and responding to our workforce.
- AHPs will ensure NCIC is represented at local, regional and national forums.
- AHPs will connect with each other and communicate effectively across the organisation, system and region, sharing best practice, celebrating and showcasing successes.
Our Partners
We will work with our partners to provide high quality services which are person-centred and accessible to all.
- AHPs will be empowered and supported to utilise outcome measures, evidence-based practice, digital technology, user feedback, lived experience and partner/ patient / public involvement to review and make changes to our service delivery. This will bring ease of access, service equitability, positive user experience and effective, high quality care every time.
- AHPs will build on connections within NCIC, the integrated care system, local authority and third sector partners to focus on delivering efficient, economic and environmental sustainable care closer to home.
- AHPs will work with our partners to adopt a life course approach to health and wellbeing so the population of North Cumbria can ‘Start Well, Live Well and Age Well’. This will deliver joined up, effective and efficient rehabilitation and health promotion across all sectors with consideration to the geography and utilisation of specialist and champion roles within AHPs.
Our Pounds
We will be collaborative and innovative in generating and using our resources wisely to ensure operational and environmental sustainability.
- AHPs will review the efficiency and efficacy, quality and standards of our services by reducing waste and duplication, adopting best practice and standardisation where able whilst seeking innovative digital solutions to improve care through more efficient clinical pathways and processes.
- AHPs will work with our partners to review the best use of the workforce, estates and resources and to learn and benchmark from other providers and sources such as ‘Get it right first time’ and Model Hospital.
- AHPs will focus on interventions which keep people healthy and reduce their need to access healthcare services, which in turn helps to reduce carbon emissions through reduced healthcare activity.
- AHPs will embed new ways of working by building net zero into everything we do. To achieve this, all AHPs will need a good understanding of the net zero agenda, and it will form a crucial part of our competencies.
- AHPs will capture and quantify any activities that generates income and reinvest this into future initiatives.
Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
There will be opportunities for all AHPs and support workers to be involved in work streams to influence the direction and delivery of the strategy, this could be at an individual, team, professional or at an overarching or multi-professional level. All ideas, suggestions, help and feedback are very welcome. AHPs are encouraged to contact your Lead AHP to get involved, share ideas and help shape the exciting future of the AHP services we provide at NCIC.
The strategy’s objectives will be achieved through delivery of a detailed action plan with clear milestones and lines of accountability. Progress against these targets will be monitored by the Heads of Service for AHPs with the support of the Programme Management Office so to ensure the strategy objectives are aligned and contribute to the Trust Strategy and Operational Plan. Overall progress will be driven and monitored by the Associate Director of Allied Health Professionals and will be presented to the Chief Nurse and Senior Leadership Groups at agreed intervals with regular communications to the AHP teams.
In line with national AHP day each year, there will be an emphasis on showcasing and sharing good practice and the celebration of achievements and successes.