1. For excellence

The Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Gold Award for Excellence was introduced in October 2024 to mark 2 events:

• the annual National Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Day in the UK (14 October)
• the anniversary of the current CAHPO in England (Professor Suzanne Rastrick OBE) having been in post for 10 years

The CAHPO Gold Award has been developed to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence within the AHP community in England.

In particular, it considers instances where AHPs have made a significant, outstanding and exceptional contribution in their work; and where AHPs consistently demonstrate strong NHS values and high levels of commitment and quality throughout their role.

We welcome inclusivity, and this process is open to people from all backgrounds.

2. Recognition and reward

While AHP colleagues can be nominated for the state honours system and for the annual CAHPO Awards, there are many AHPs in England whose steadfast work has made a meritorious contribution, but does not necessarily fit with either of those existing routes of recognition.

Therefore, as noted above, this award has been developed to acknowledge, reward and celebrate members of the AHP community who:

• demonstrate excellence
• make a significant, outstanding and exceptional contribution
• lead by example consistently
• exhibit NHS values
• demonstrate high levels of commitment and quality

To this end, the CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence:

• complements the current annual CAHPO Awards that have been established for several years
  • the annual CAHPO Awards recognise significant good practice, innovation, transformation and improvement
  • they also recognise the impact of exceptional care for patients by an individual or team, across 8 distinct categories that are aligned to the current AHP Strategy for England – AHPs Deliver

• is for an individual, recognising:
  • the vast range of skills and expertise AHPs bring to their roles
  • the leadership and inspiration they give to their colleagues
  • the innovation they bring to developing new ways of delivery
  • the enormous benefits of the care and compassion they offer to patients both directly and indirectly.

• rewards those individuals who have excelled in these areas throughout their career, identifying recipients as beacons of their profession and a shining example for others to aspire to

The awarding of the CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence is an annual event, taking place once a year, usually in spring.

3. Criteria for being awarded the CAHPO Gold Award For Excellence

The CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence can be awarded to an individual AHP who has robustly and continuously demonstrated a range of the following criteria:

• For outstanding achievement and contribution: be it in their clinical practice, education, research, or other portfolio areas; changing or influencing professional or national policy direction.
• For consistently excellent performance: delivering the highest quality of care for patients and their families. This may also include having a significant impact on addressing specific health outcomes such as health inequalities.
• For consistently excellent performance: delivering the highest quality of professional leadership; being a role model to others; multi-professional; system influencing.
• For championing the implementation of the AHP Strategy – AHPs Deliver; demonstrating innovation and entrepreneurship; introducing and making changes that have significant and beneficial impacts and improvements for services, patients and colleagues.
• For championing diversity, inclusion and equity in their role, their area of work and with colleagues.

4. Eligibility

2024

With the award’s launch in 2024, the first tranche of winners was identified and selected personally by the CAHPO in England, to mark her 10-year anniversary of being in the post.

These inaugural 2024 winners had, often in their own time or unseen by others, strengthened significantly and supported the work that the CAHPO and her wider team had undertaken during the last 10 years.

With all 14 professions represented, the winners were announced on 14 October 2024, on National AHPs Day, as part of the CAHPOs live webinar address.

2025 onwards

For 2025 onwards, a nomination process has been introduced. Nominations will only be considered based on the following eligibility requirements:

• All members of the AHP community, including support/social workers, can be considered.
• Only individuals can be nominated for a CAHPO Gold Award (as opposed to a team, for example).
• Individuals cannot nominate themselves.
• Nominations must be submitted and approved through the process below.
• All nominators and nominated individuals must be content to be subject to due diligence processes with their employers and regional chief AHPs.

There will only be a limited number of these Gold awards handed out each year.

The process is expected to be competitive and, although it may result in some disappointment, being unsuccessful should not be regarded as failure of the nominator or nominee in any way.

5. How to nominate

Nominations can be made at any point throughout the year. The awarding of the CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence will take place once a year, usually in spring.

All nominations will also require the support of an accountable board level member at the nominee’s employing organisation.

To nominate an AHP for a CAHPO Gold Award, please complete the CAHPO Gold Award Nomination Form and submit it to the email address as instructed on the form.

6. Process once nomination submitted

1. Nominating organisation or individual completes the CAHPO Gold Award Nomination Form and submits it to the Office of the CAHPO.
2. Nominators will receive confirmation that we have received their nomination within a few days.
3. Due diligence processes may take place with relevant employer and Regional Chief AHP.
4. The CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence Panel will review each nomination at the appropriate point in the year.
5. If required, we will reach out to nominators when more information has been requested by the panel.
6. When an outcome has been reached, the Office of the CAHPO will inform the nominator and the regional chief AHP. At the same time, if successful, the nominated individual will also be notified.

7. AHP support workers

AHP support workers are at the heart of clinical settings and local communities up and down the country, making a real difference every day to the lives of patients they care for and the AHP colleagues they support. They are integral to our workforce and deserve recognition and celebration for all that they do.

We want to recognise our support workforce and the vital role they play.

8. AHP support worker criteria

This award is based on their demonstration of the NHS values:

1. Working together for patients: those who consistently demonstrate the values of the NHS in supporting their AHP colleagues to deliver the highest possible patient care.
2. Respect and dignity: those who exemplify the importance of patient respect and dignity in all that they do.
3. Commitment to quality of care: those who contribute to the development of services for patients resulting in improvement of service provision.
4. Compassion: those who provide consistently outstanding care to patients and to colleagues, that is recognised by patients, service users and colleagues alike.
5. Improving lives: recognising those who impact the lives not just of their patients but also to their patient’s loved ones. This is for AHP support workers that consistently demonstrate the NHS values to build good relationships with patients and their networks to provide outstanding patient care in their clinical setting.
6. Everyone counts: those who champion equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything that they do, both in clinical practice and with their colleagues

9. AHP support worker eligibility

Only individual nominations should be submitted. We are keen to showcase the contribution of individual support workers and how they contribute to a wider team or organisation.

For eligibility criteria, see section 5 above.

10. How to nominate an AHP support worker

To nominate an AHP support worker for a CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence, see section 6 above.

CAHPO Gold Award for Excellence – eligibility criteria and nomination process