The Allied Health Professions (AHP) Strategy for England: AHPs Deliver, has been developed to provide strategic direction to the AHP community across England, to help the AHP community and those they work with maximise their contribution to the aim of improving health outcomes for all, providing better quality care, and improving sustainability of health and care services.

Read the Allied Health Professions strategy
for England: AHPs Deliver

During the lifecycle of the strategy it will be important that the AHP community continue to build on the innovation demonstrated throughout the pandemic and apply this learning to the challenges services now face in recovering.

Approach to strategy development

The strategy was co-created with people and communities, the AHP community and other health professionals in three engagement phases.

The first engagement phase was through an online conversation with people and communities to gain their views and ideas about how they would like to receive and experience health and care.

The second engagement phase was through an online crowdsource with AHPs, to respond to the people’s voice, and have their say in how health and care services should be delivered.

The final engagement phase was with people and communities, the AHP community and other health professionals, presenting final themes and findings for a ‘check and challenge’ before contributions from all three conversations were used to support the writing AHPs Deliver.

Due to the pandemic, engagement moved to a wholly virtual space. To ensure we didn’t exacerbate health inequalities and miss the voice of key groups in our engagement, additional measures were being taken to ensure inclusion and support access. Details of these activities can be read in our Allied Health Professions listen: Inclusion and collaboration blog.

Data collated was analysed. The findings were then mapped to relevant national policies and strategies. Drafting of the strategy was undertaken with a number of key senior stakeholders alongside working continuing the work with people and communities.

About the strategy

Section 1: The strategy principles of anti-racism and co-production: This strategy makes an overarching commitment that the AHP community will be anti-discriminatory and anti-racist in its approaches, using co‑production to ensure actions are inclusive.

Section 2: Reflecting on the achievements of AHPs into Action: Through our wide engagement we know AHPs into Action has had impact – many of the transformations it has achieved are now considered to be business as usual; others have scope for further growth.

Section 3: Four enhanced foundations: The four priorities – described as ‘enhanced foundations’ – remain the same as in the first strategy but they have been further refined and are supported by updated frameworks and policies.

Section 4: Five areas of focus: Five ‘areas of focus’ have been identified for the next five years, each complemented by a set of ambitions.

Get involved

• Share your local use of AHPs Deliver and join in the conversation on Twitter/X at #AHPsDeliver.
• Follow Professor Suzanne Rastrick OBE, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, on Twitter/X @SuzanneRastrick.
• If you have any questions or ideas to share contact us at england.cahpo@nhs.net