Celebrating our Allied Health Professionals this AHPs’ Day
Members of St Ann's AHP family are sharing what they love about being an Allied Health Professional this AHPs' Day.
Friday 14th October 2022 marks this year’s AHPs’ Day, a time to recognise our St Ann’s AHP family for everything they do in providing outstanding care and support to our patients.
At St Ann’s we employ 11 AHPs across three of the 14 recognised AHP professions; physiotherapists, occupational therapists (OTs) and a dietitian. They hold a range of positions at our hospices in Heald Green and Little Hulton, including team leaders, heads of department and our specialist lymphoedema team, and all play a vital role in patient treatment, rehabilitation and support.
To celebrate AHPs’ Day and improve awareness of the important work of our brilliant AHPs, they shared what they love most about being an AHP.
I think for me it is the variety of situations I can and have influenced positively currently at the hospice, and throughout my career as an OT. It feels very powerful to enable a person to achieve an important goal, particularly when they have a life-limiting illness. Very often there are challenges to overcome and the goal is achieved not as first planned... The privilege is having the opportunity to do this in my role every day. Fran Brown, Rehab Team Leader and Occupational Therapist (OT)
I love being able to spend time getting to know people and their loved ones, finding out what makes them feel like themselves, what would make their lives better, and what matters most to them. Then working with patients, families, and colleagues to put a plan together. It's a privilege to be part of helping others work towards achieving a meaningful goal. Tina Peel, Being You Centre Team Leader (Little Hulton) and Occupational Therapist
It feels like a privilege to add value and quality to life when someone's days are short in the palliative phase of their illness. I've been able to help patients who are keen to continue to sit out of bed to continue activities that are important to them, even if they are approaching end of life. By using my training and using specialist chairs and equipment to move them safely, they have been able to do this, which helps them to feel in control and remain calm. Bobby Magee, Advanced Physiotherapist
I love being an AHP because we have a holistic approach to patient assessment and treatment. We work with people to prioritise their needs and focus on supporting them with their goals. I enjoy educating people about nutrition so they are empowered to improve their diet, whether this is to improve health, rediscover the enjoyment of eating food or to support their functional and quality-of-life goals. Catherine Voyce, Dietitian
I love being an Occupational Therapist and part of the AHP team because every day is different and your career can go in lots of different directions! When in a clinical role I enjoyed really getting to understand what made a person tick and supporting them to achieve what mattered to them in a timely way at the end of their lives. Now in a non-clinical role I enjoy using my core OT skills to both support and develop team members and also influence clinical strategy to help achieve the best possible outcomes for people that access hospice services. Emma Barclay, Head of Clinical Services (Heald Green) and Occupational Therapist
A few things I like about being an AHP are the education aspect involved in patient interaction; making positive changes to a person and improving their quality of life and death; using tried and tested, well-researched treatment strategies alongside moving with the times and more modern treatments; adapting to individual patients and their differences and challenges – gaining their trust can make all the difference; and the multi-disciplinary working with other professionals. Alison Bennett, Specialist Physiotherapist
