National AHPs day

As the third largest clinical workforce within the health and care, AHPs Day is an annual occasion for AHPs in England, and now internationally, to spotlight the remarkable impact AHPs have on the delivery of health and care. Whether you are a support worker, assistant practitioner, registered professional, pre-registration apprentice, or a dedicated student, you are at the heart of this celebration.

This year, AHPs Day will take place on Wednesday 14 October 2026.

We encourage AHPs to plan local celebrations and share information across your communications channels. We also invite you to join the National AHP Virtual Hub (Futures collaboration platform) to collaborate with other AHPs across England. If you have any additional queries, please email england.cahpo@nhs.net.

This year’s AHPs Day theme

The key theme for AHPs Day 2026 in England is Celebrating AHPs Deliver. Colleagues may wish to celebrate a specific part of our current strategy such as:

• an enhanced foundation theme
  • AHPs champion and promote diverse and inclusive leadership
  • AHPs in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills
  • AHPs commit to research, innovation, and evaluation
  • AHPs further harness digital technology and innovation through data
• one of the 5 areas of focus
  • People first
  • Optimising care
  • Social justice: addressing health and care inequalities
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Strengthening and promoting the AHP community
• interprofessional collaboration and innovation between AHPs

AHPs Deliver completes its term in 2027 and the Office of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) will publish a new professional framework in spring 2027 provisionally titled AHPs: a framework for system impact. This framework will set the long-term vision, direction, and ambition for the 14 registered professions within health and care, aligned with national policy. It therefore feels fitting to celebrate the current strategy before it concludes.

Origins of AHPs Day

In 2018, Rachael Brandreth, dietitian, and Carrie Biddle, speech and language therapist, had the idea for an AHPs appreciation day while reflecting on AHPs into Action and how AHPs could amplify their impact. A post on X to Professor Suzanne Rastrick CBE, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England, sparked widespread interest.

Within 24 hours, all 14 AHP professions had backed the idea, leading to the first AHPs Day on 14 October 2018.

The movement continued to grow and, by 2021, AHPs Day had become an established annual event. We thank Rachael and Carrie for the inspiration and commitment that helped create it.