The CAHPO 2022 Awards: categories and winners
Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Suzanne Rastrick hosted the sixth annual CAHPO Awards virtually on 13 October 2022.
The evening offered a unique opportunity for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), either nominated by their peers or by themselves, to receive recognition for their personal contributions towards the delivery of exceptional care for patients.
The winners on the evening were:
AHP Creative Provision of Placements award winner 2022
The Orthoptic CPEP Team: Veronica Greenwood, BIOS, Helen Davis, BIOS, University of Sheffield, Michelle Murray, BIOS, Elizabeth Lomas, BIOS, Alice Donnachie, BIOS, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Rich Huzzey, BIOS, Carly Hegarty, BIOS, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Craig Murray, BIOS, University of Liverpool, Joanne Adeoye, University of Liverpool, Hannah Harwood, Lancashire Eye Centre, Janice Hoole, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Dannielle Guy, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Isobel Ash, Nottingham, Michael Harmsworth, Nottingham University Hospital, Victoria Smerdon, Wirral University Teaching Hospitals, Laura Worrall, Royal Stoke University Hospital, and Sam Polge, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust.
The Orthoptic Clinical Placement Expansion Project Team, a collaborative group of HEIs, NHS Trusts and the orthoptic professional body (BIOS) have led an innovative project to expand clinical placement experience for orthoptic students. The aim was to increase the number of authentic clinical learning opportunities, to develop a collaborative online clinical resource portal and to implement Hololens2 technology for livestreaming and recording of patient consultations at partner placement sites. Within a year of the implementation of the project (October 2021), 32 weeks of additional placement had been added, patient videos and resources via the Placement Expansion Resource Library (PERL) had been accessed over 10 thousand times across the UK and students and tutors have commented how it improves clinical decision making and clinical confidence. The approach provides sustainable, digitalised clinical education with the capacity for growth across other AHP professional groups.
AHP Public Health Champion award winner 2022 and the AHP of the Year 2022
Sammer Tang, Specialist Registrar in Public Health, UK Health Security Agency, Non-Medical Prescriber/Public Health Lead, College of Paramedics.
Sammer has been working tirelessly to ensure paramedics are part of a system wide multi-agency approach, committed to the individual and the provision of evidence based care. His achievements to date include writing e-learning modules for both paramedics students and qualified colleagues, publishing articles and e-learning models on social prescribing, setting up the College of Paramedics Public Health Special Interest Group, being the Acting Chair for the Public Health Sub-group leading the early work and championing Make Every Contact Count (MECC) across the system. Sammer’s work has a positive impact on a large proportion of the patients that paramedics see, especially those who find it hard to access healthcare and are living with deprivation and inequalities.
AHP Digital Practice award winner 2022
Engagement, Diversity, and Inclusion Team, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
The team has developed a number of digital accessibility projects including: Communications Support guide; Online information/resources; EDI social media; Digital medication ingredients guide and Online workshops and recruitment for BAME communities. The implementation of the work has led to significant improved reach to individuals in the diverse communities. The bespoke work has also increased patient satisfaction. Paramedic colleagues have highlighted the usefulness of the tools when triaging and interacting with patients with communication needs.
AHP Innovation and Improvement in Integrated Care Systems award winner 2022
Bill Leaning, Physician Response Unit Clinical Manager & Senior Flight Paramedic, Barts Health NHS Trust.
As part of the Physician Response Unit (PRU), Bill has led and championed the delivery of Community Emergency Medicine (CEM), a model of care which led to transformation changes in Urgent and Emergency Care across North East London and beyond. The PRU, which has a 100% recommendation rate, ‘takes the Emergency Department to the patient’, supporting and managing clinically vulnerable patients in the community, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions. Bill is determined to ensure that what matters to patients is what matters to staff and this ethos permeates all aspects of their work.
Leadership for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion award winner 2022
Freya Sledding, Therapy Service Manager, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
Freya has formed and led the Trust’s first Inclusion Group to address poor awareness and lack of support for staff members with physical or learning disabilities. It started as an informal group with a focus on access to work and reasonable adjustments. Having identified opportunities that could tackle the perpetuating inequalities that exist within the society, Freya formed a partnership with a local college, developing an internship for people with the same needs. To date the program has supported two interns to work full time within the Trust. Subsequent cohorts have grown. Feedback from the local community and interns have simply been astonishing.
AHP Research Impact award winner 2022
Vicki Johnson, Lead Research Associate for Complex Interventions, Jacqui Troughton, Senior Research Dietitian, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.
Vicki, a physiotherapist by background and Jacqui, a dietitian have developed, tested and started implementing Structured Health Intervention For Truckers (SHIFT), alongside other researchers and third sector partners, such as logistics companies, to promote health and well-being and tackle health inequalities, specifically for Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers. The initiative not only addresses health and wellbeing of this population but also of high public health value. It is also an example of multi-professional working which is a cornerstone for good collaborative research, ultimately for a very widescale nation-wide rollout.
Greener AHP award winner 2022
The Orthotics Team, New Cross Hospital, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
The Orthotics team see on average 13,000 patients per year. They have introduced greener ways of working, including the introduction of Telehealth (accessed by up to 50% of the patients), changing the packaging from their supplier; partnering with an external company to send used orthoses to developing countries, implementing separate waste bins; using recyclable materials, adopting paperless triaging and ward logs etc. Their collaborative work has saved 151,913 miles of patients’ travel, a reduction of 5,621 car parking spaces and a reduction of 28 tonnes CO2 emissions in the local area.
AHP Workforce Transformation Award 2022
Paul McArdle, Professional Lead for Dietetics, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
Paul has led a variety of projects working collaboratively with the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), maximising the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to fund Dietitians. His work and leadership have reduced patients experiencing unnecessary delay, significant cost reduction in inappropriate prescribing, saving GP appointments, narrowing the gaps between dietetic care and GP services in Birmingham. Subsequently, work is now underway to identify advance practice opportunities such as First Contact Practitioner, Advanced Clinical Practitioner and Non-Medical Prescribing.