Publish date: 8 February 2023
The Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Conference was held in person for the first time in three years.
The event which was held at the DoubleTree in Ealing brought together AHPs from across the Trust.
It opened with a message from Helen Lycett, Associate Director for AHPs.
She said: "This is our first in person conference in three years. There's a real buzz in the room. I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who arranged today's event. A lot of people have started with the Trust over the last three years, so please say hello to any new faces and make some new friends."
Venus Madden, Clinical Fellow to the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, was invited to talk with the Trust about AHPs Deliver - the new strategy for AHPs in England.
Venus, a former employee of the Trust, explained there are two overarching principles - the first is anti-racism and how it's not enough to "not be racist", instead staff need to be "anti-racist".
The second is co-production, working with those who access services, carers, the public and staff themselves to improve services.
Venus then put the Trust's strategy for 2022 to 2027 under the spotlight, looking at our work to champion diversity and inclusivity, the importance of research and innovation and harnessing digital tools and managing data.
After Venus, the Trust welcomed Joy Warmington of the equality charity BRAP. Joy discussed how the Trust can take action to be anti-racist, tackling systematic racism, and helping those who make mistakes to become part of the solution.
Helen added: "I hope we're all committed to starting that journey to become anti-racist, so we can transform our organisation."
After Joy, the Trust welcomed Claire Fordham, Workforce Transformation Lead at the North West London ICS.
Claire championed the importance of developing our support workers through enhancing career opportunities, growing the number of apprenticeships and helping them to thrive.
During the conference, the Trust hosted its AHP Awards with a number of winners and runners-up being announced.
Betsy Galuga won AHP of the Year, whilst the Older People's Mental Health Service AHPs won Team of the Year.
The afternoon began with a talk from Samuel Grant, National Chair of Health Education England's LGBTQ+ Staff Network, before a Q&A with senior AHPs about the AHP strategy.
This was followed by a debate about the use of data and digital innovation by Suzy England from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, and a presentation from the Lakeside OT Team.
Thank you to everyone who attended.