Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are a diverse group of practitioners who deliver high quality care to patients by carrying out assessment, diagnosis, treatment and discharge, across a range of settings in the NHS, Local Authorities, independent and voluntary sectors, breaking down organisational boundaries.
Their aim is to further improve services provided by AHPs to achieve better outcomes for patients after illness and injury. They are well-placed to innovate and develop new models of care, for example, integration across health and social care.
AHPs are the third largest group of practitioners who, in the main, are first contact practitioners. In the NHS alone they account for 1 in 10 staff. AHPs carry their own caseloads and work as autonomous professionals, for example, working directly with patients to develop interactive therapies to aid recovery.
But AHPs will also be part of a team and may even lead one. This might mean working with other AHPs or professionals such as GPs, hospital doctors, teachers, or social workers. AHPs see patients and clients in different surroundings and they work in hospitals, clinics, housing services, people's homes, schools and colleges, to name but a few.