The Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Awards 2023 took place on 12 October 2023, see below for details of the winners.

Read this blog post to understand the changes to the awards nomination process and how we have enabled greater inclusivity.

View our frequently asked questions for further information about the awards.

Creative provision of placements award 2023 – awarded by Council of Deans of Health

Professor Lisa Taylor, Professor of Employability and Learning Innovation
School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia

Professor Lisa Taylor has created the Peer Enhanced e-Placement (PEEP), which is delivered entirely online, harnessing evidence-based online & peer-learning pedagogy.

To date, over 1,800 AHP students have completed a PEEP, most lasting 3-4 weeks, and all achieved placement learning outcomes.

PEEP offers a sustainable placement model, able to fulfil professional/statutory body requirements, with flexibility to design content to respond to current/emerging workplace/role requirements, maintaining quality through robust pedagogical design and delivery, assisted by the PEEP exemplar timetables.

AHP public health champion award 2023 – awarded by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Lyndsey Barrett, Megan Potts, Rob Walker and Liz Fletcher, Occupational Therapists
Jake Turner, Operations Director
Sport for Confidence

The team delivered a ground-breaking Prevention and Enablement model (PEM) that embedded physical activity into a whole system approach to adult health and social care. The project was a test and learn Local Delivery Pilot (LDP) in Essex and delivered in partnership with Adult Social Care at Essex County Council, Active Essex. It promoted and delivered active lifestyles and connections within the communities.

The project’s outcomes were independently evaluated, and evidenced a £58.72 return in Social Value for every £1 invested.

AHP digital practice award 2023 – awarded by NHS England

Rachel Radford, Speech and Language Therapist
The Rotherham Foundation NHS Trust

During the pandemic, video appointments have become embedded as a method of appointment for Voice Therapy. Rachel used social media alongside traditional communication methods and local networks to help overcome barriers to using remote consultations. She also devised documentation around student telehealth placements, which was disseminated across the ICS.

Rachel has since led telehealth studies that focused on therapy outcomes, as well as cost savings.

Rachel was invited to become a member of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics. Additionally, she was invited by her professional body (RCSLT) to meet the Countess of Wessex in recognition of her leadership in digital developments.

AHP workforce transformation award 2023 – awarded by NHS England

Fiona Leahy, AHP Support Workforce Project Lead
South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Fiona worked across the Integrated Care System (ICS) to develop the AHP Support Workforce with a systemwide approach, which led to a significant and recognisable impact on the wider South Yorkshire AHP community. ​​Her work includes:

• Training needs analysis of career pathways
• Increasing diversity of the AHP Support Workforce
• Raising awareness and to increase the number of AHP apprenticeships across the system
• Providing leadership placement, working collaboratively with students to develop bitesize training resources
• Introducing and promoting T level industry placement

AHP innovation and improvement within integrated care systems award 2023 – awarded by NHS England

Margurite O’Mara, Service Lead
Chloe Popplewell, Clinical Lead Physiotherapist
Elizabeth Theobold, Specialist Occupational Therapist
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Having identified a need for integration with voluntary services and a service gap to support long term neurological rehabilitation, the team worked collaboratively with the voluntary charity Headway to devise a new interdisciplinary therapy model. This was in line with the NHS Long Term Plan and Integrated Care System (ICS) visions.

The project epitomises collaborative partnership models that join up services for improved patient care, reducing health inequalities, and increasing access to services.

AHP research impact award 2023 – awarded by the Council for Allied Health Professions Research and the National Institute for Health and Care Research

Natalie Jones, Clinical Academic Occupational Therapist Research Associate
NIHR/HEE Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship
University of Sheffield
Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust

Natalie has collaborated with healthcare providers and universities in many ways. For example, she has worked on improving the feasibility of OT home visits by developing an app. Her current PhD work is about the use of breakfast clubs for stroke patients. Co-production with people and communities is at the center of everything Natalie develops.

The benefits of this work are highly transferable, and the findings have been disseminated beyond the AHP community and has been acknowledged by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists with a Merit award. Recently, her work has contributed to a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) portfolio of evidence.

Greener AHP award 2023 – awarded by Greener NHS

Sue Norman, Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Sue has led on the implementation of the electric urgent response van which promotes healthy aging for older people living with frailty by reducing falls, long lies and avoidable admissions. This initiative reduces carbon emissions and contribution to air pollution which also impacts health.

Over the last 12 months of this service, 95% were being reached in 0-2 hours.  A total of 635 patients were seen, of which 82% remained at home meaning the environmental impact of 521 emergency ambulance journeys were avoided alongside avoiding the need for other community services to be involved. This initiative also saves approximately £200K in Acute care costs.

AHP Leadership for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion 2023 – awarded by NHS Race and Health Observatory

Katherine Simcock,  Principal Speech and Language Therapist
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Having adopted a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement methodology, Katherine co-produced a guide with autistic people (as well as carers/relatives) in the local community.

The guide outlines some of the language preferences about autism from the perspective of research and the local autistic adult community. It is currently being shared across the Trust with the aim of guiding staff about language use, making services more accessible, improving the experience of care, and reducing health inequalities.

CAHPO award 2023 – awarded by the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (England)

Sue Norman, Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Sue has led on the implementation of the electric urgent response van which promotes healthy aging for older people living with frailty by reducing falls, long lies and avoidable admissions. This initiative reduces carbon emissions and contribution to air pollution which also impacts health.

Over the last 12 months of this service, 95% were being reached in 0-2 hours.  A total of 635 patients were seen, of which 82% remained at home meaning the environmental impact of 521 emergency ambulance journeys were avoided alongside avoiding the need for other community services to be involved. This initiative also saves approximately £200K in Acute care costs.