The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists

Professional Affairs

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Representing P&O

Our Professional Affairs committee works hard to ensure P&O is represented on all of the relevant consultations in health care. This means that P&O is not forgotten and is including when commissioners are considering services

Some of our latest inclusions in national pathways this year include

The ‘AHP maternity care pathway’ consultation and AHPs in Care Homes

 

 

The committee alongside the executive also try to do their best to help our members make sense of complicated documentation a great example is the new MHRA Guidance Document

 

 

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AHP’s in Care Home

NHS Improvement & AHP colleagues have produced a joint supporting publication for the AHPs into Action programme for supporting healthcare in care home.  

It is available at https://www.england.nhs.uk/ahp/ahps-into-action/  or can be downloaded here: Quick Guide AHPs Enhancing Health in care homes

This quick guide will support AHPs and service leaders to meet the priorities and ambitions for care home residents detailed in the NHS long term plan.  The NHS long term plan details 4 strategic priorities for community health services, one of which was the roll out of the Enhancing Health in Care Homes Framework. The ambition includes a focus on nutrition and hydration and provision of support from the right professionals when care home residents have been unwell, including rehabilitation.

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Moving Medicine

Moving Medicine, developed by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK in partnership with Public Health England and Sport England, is an online resource that has been developed to assist physical activity conversations between healthcare professionals and their patients by adopting a motivational interviewing framework and evidence-based recommendations specific to their condition.

They have developed a new module for lower limb amputees and are now seeking feedback regarding its content.

They would be grateful if you would follow the link below to review the module and take the time to complete a brief survey regarding it, in order for us to optimise the resource prior to it being formally launched.  Please do this by 18th August.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6KLJHFC

To learn more about Moving Medicine and to view additional modules that are already freely available online please visit www.movingmedicine.ac.uk.

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Second Victim Support

BAPO has endorsed an NIHR funded support resource for ‘Second Victims’.
 
A ‘second victim’ describes health professionals who suffer emotionally when the care they provide leads to harm.
 
The Second Victim Support website aims to:
 
– help those involved in a patient safety incident identify the types of support which they may need, and signposts them towards that help
 
– provide managers of staff involved in a patient safety incident with insight into the impact of patient safety incidents on them as individuals
 
– provide resources to help managers support staff to cope with patient safety incidents and signposts them to further sources of help and guidance
 
www.secondvictim.co.uk

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MHRA Guidance

BAPO’s Professional Affairs Committee have prepared a resource to direct all BAPO members towards MHRA medical device legislation and guidance relevant in a P&O contex

This can be found in the Proffesional Affairs resources tab or downloadable below

MHRA Guidance 2019

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AHP Public Health Strategy

Today marks the publication of two new strategy documents for AHPs.

The first is a Public Health Impact Report, this report is a joint publication by Public Health England and the AHP Federation.  It is available on the AHPF web site: http://www.ahpf.org.uk/Publications_and_Speeches.htm or downloadable below:

AHP Public Health Strategy_Impact ReportDownload

The second is the strategic Framework which goes with this document and is downloadable here:

UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework 2019-2024Download

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NICE Opportunity

NICE are recruiting for members to join the Osteoarthritis update guideline committee. All the information about the role including how to apply can be found at the link below:

https://www.nice.org.uk/get-involved/our-committees/join-a-committee/member–osteoarthritis-guideline-update-committee

The following roles are being advertised:

  • a GP
  • a consultant rheumatologist
  • 2 physiotherapists
  • an orthopaedic surgeon
  • an occupational therapist
  • a geriatrician/general physician with an interest in osteoarthritis
  • a musculoskeletal service commissioner
  • a clinical pharmacist
  • an orthotist or podiatrist

Please note the closing date for applications is 31st May 5pm.

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Anti-Bullying

BAPO is proud to be a part of a new anti-bullying alliance, supporting and sharing ideas and promoting resources and support systems

Bulling has no place in healthcare or the NHS, and it negatively effects staff, services and patients. BAPO are strongly committed to supporting our P&O professionals alongside the wider healthcare environment to erradicate bullying

For more information and resources see the Anti-Bulling document below

AntiBullying AllianceDownload

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Early Day Motion on AHPs & Leadesrhip

MPs call for greater skills diversity in the NHS

A cross-party group of MPs today tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament urging the government to consider a law change, to allow for greater diversity of leadership at the top of the NHS.

Proposer of the motion Norman Lamb MP (Lib Dem) said; “Not many people will be aware that in many hospitals up and down the land today, skilled professionals who are not doctors or nurses, known as Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), are effectively banned from being Executive Clinical Directors on Trust Boards. If we want more creative thinking, and the voices of physios, OTs, radiographers and many other therapists to be heard in NHS boardrooms, then we need a law change. The current rules are holding us back.”

Parmjit Dhanda, Chair of the Allied Health Professionals Federation (AHPF) said: “We’re delighted that MPs have laid this motion before the House today and recognised the importance of AHPs in senior NHS roles.  It is a reminder that our health service values all of its workforce. Doctors and nurses are crucial, but diversity of skills delivers better services. This motion reminds us all of the benefits that could be gained if a wider group of skilled professionals were allowed to take up Medical and/or Nursing Director roles on Foundation Trusts. But it does require the lifting of a legal restriction by the government.”

 

The EDM states:

 “That this House shares the view of the Allied Health Professions Federation (AHPF) that greater diversity of talent in leadership posts in hospitals can boost multi-disciplinary working, reduce pressure on emergency departments and hence improve outcomes for patients; agrees with the AHPF that the rules governing NHS Foundation Trust hospitals which limit Medical Director roles to doctors and Nursing Director roles to nurses, is outdated and excludes over 150,000 Allied Health Professionals from these leadership roles; urges the Government to remove this unnecessary restriction in law, and broaden its diversity of talent in senior roles.”

 

AHPs are the 3rd largest sector in the NHS. There are 158,000 AHPs working within a range of surroundings including hospitals, people’s homes, clinics, surgeries, the justice system, local authorities, private and voluntary sectors and primary, secondary and tertiary education. The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 that established Foundation Trusts specified that Boards had to have a Medical and Nursing Directors with medical or nursing qualifications. While there may be some AHPs who are also Board Directors, historically these are often subsidiary to nursing directors, so AHPs don’t fill the most senior posts.

‘It is an established fact that throughout all sectors and industries, the most successful Boards are those with the greatest diversity. The NHS needs to do everything it can to ensure Boards access the widest talent possible and limiting the executive clinical roles to only two professions is out-dated and exclusive when we should be looking to simply recruit the very best clinicians to these senior positions.’

BAPO are pleased to support this EDM and to see it tabled in Parliament today