BAPO Admin

The AHP Professional Bodies met with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Sir Chris Whitty and Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO), Suzanne Rastrick.

Subject discussed was AHP contributions to Health in and Ageing Society

BAPO, along with the other AHP Professional Bodies attended a face-to-face meeting in London with the CMO and CAHPO, called as part of an exercise to collate information relating to the ageing population and who health could be promoted to enable those living longer in England to live happier, healthier lives.

Context

The CAHPO’s AHP Strategy for England: AHPs Deliver, has been developed to provide direction to the AHP community across England; to help the AHPs maximise their contribution to improving health outcomes, provide better quality care, and improving sustainability of health and care services.

Focus

The challenges of the AHPs Deliver included those of an ageing population. The challenges are not uniformly distributed and will be greater in our rural and coastal communities. BAPO were able to add comment that this is especially a challenge for prosthetic services, where services are most frequently located in the larger urban locations. In addition, those from rural and coastal populations who need to access orthotic services, can find access difficult, often due to workforce challenges.

The governments’ objective is to promote health and enjoyment, so later life has quality, with dignity retained. As part of the levelling up agenda there is a goal to add an average of 5 years of healthy living, promoting this over longevity. Currently there in areas of poor health the average for healthy living is 19 years lower.

Noting the six major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, which are;

• Cancers
• Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and diabetes
• Chronic respiratory diseases
• Dementia
• Mental ill health
• Musculoskeletal disorders

These areas account for around 60% of total Disability Adjusted Life Years in England. Whilst prosthetic and orthotic services are positioned to treat ageing patients with all these conditions, BAPO confirmed that cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal disorders are amongst the most common.

To support the achievement of the targets AHPs were encouraged to think how services could be commissioned with a focus on outcomes or outputs as opposed to inputs. BAPO were able to confirm that this is highly significant for prosthetic and orthotic services, where often service design is determined by the units and commodities purchased, including services and products, rather than the health outcomes achieved.

Summary

AHPs promoted the benefits of positive public health messages to the younger population, as healthy living in youth is related to health and wellbeing when ageing. The value of early rehabilitation to save money was highlighted, and this ties into enabling and empowering people to be able to work longer in good health and contribute positively to society. The message was good quality work supports good physical and mental health and APHs are effective in supporting this.

Recognising the significant economic challenges that an ageing population will create, it was accepted and recognised that AHPs will have to demonstrate that the care they provide is both effective and delivers value for money. However, in relative terms and when harnessed with a strong support worker resource AHPs are well placed to deliver many of the required solutions.

Final note and call to action to the professional bodies

It was confirmed that there is a call for evidence launched to invite views on how best to prevent, early diagnose, treat, and manage the 6 major groups of conditions which drive ill health and contribute to the burden of disease in the population in England[1].

The 6 major health conditions – cancer, cardiovascular diseases including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health, and musculoskeletal disorders – affect millions of people in England with data showing that one in 4 suffer from 2 or more of these major long-term conditions.

Recognising the pressure these conditions are putting on the NHS, the government is seeking views on a new strategy to tackle them that will focus not only on treatment but also on prevention[2].

This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 27 June[3].

 

[1] Government Action on Major Conditions and Diseases Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament

 

[2] Government invites views on tackling major conditions in England https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-invites-views-on-tackling-major-conditions-in-england

 

[3] https://consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/645cb4b614fbee6d990990c9

 

Peter Iliff has represented BAPO in London at a meeting between the AHP professions,  the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, Suzanne Rastrick.

The meeting was an opportunity to promote the role of prosthetists and orthotists in positively influence healthy ageing within the population. 

Document – BAPO Healthy ageing and the role of prosthetics and orthotics personnel

BAPO is delighted to be supporting the development of a specific P&O training programme, that will provide a recognised qualification and stepping stone for those within our profession to transition to a higher level of practice. We encourage all members to support the programme as it develops, to assist us in retaining skilled and capable staff, enabling them to benefit from rich and rewarding careers.

A message from The ECP project team at the University of Salford and Coventry University:

The University of Salford and Coventry University have been chosen by the NHSE (formerly HEE) to develop a new nationally recognised allied health profession-specific training programmes for healthcare workers.

The training will be available for practitioners across seven allied health professions (Dietetics, Diagnostic Radiography, Occupational Therapy, Operating Department Practitioners, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Prosthetics and Orthotics).

The new Enhanced Clinical Practice (ECP) project will provide a framework for structured education pathways and apprenticeships for allied health professionals, helping to support career progression and retain staff, many of whom leave in their early to mid-stage careers. It will aim to support the development of the workforce, ensuring people can continually grow and update the skills they need throughout their careers.

Dr Gill Rawlinson, Director of Allied and Public Health at the University of Salford, said: “There are significant issues with retention and a lack of clear career development opportunities for allied health professionals and we really hope that through this work with NHSE we will be able to address this need. “This new training framework will offer a means for people to develop their careers further and feel more valued without having to leave the profession they love and are skilled at. The University of Salford and Coventry University are both among the largest providers of Allied and Public Health subjects in England, and we are proud and excited to be working together to develop and deliver this innovative new programme.”

Amanda Royston, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University, said: “We are proud to be undertaking this important project with the University of Salford; using our combined strength and expertise in the education and development of allied health professionals to deliver new education pathways and apprenticeships for the health and social care sector across England.”

Dr Kim Stuart, AHP Professional Development Lead at Coventry University stated that: “We are working with NHSE, health and social care employers across England, professional bodies, and allied health professionals to ensure that the new education pathways and apprenticeships are fit for purpose and deliver the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to deliver high-quality person-centred care.”

At this moment in time, we are looking to gain an understanding of the priority areas within the P&O profession. 

The ECP team will be attending the ‘Prosthetics and Orthotics Workforce Summit’ in Birmingham on the 15^th of June to provide more information on the project and collect feedback from P+O stakeholders. If you would like to attend, please register for the event using the following link: https://www.bapo.com/2023/05/12/prosthetics-and-workforce-summit/

Your insight would be very valuable to us.

Thank you.

The ECP project team at the University of Salford and Coventry University