Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Deliver: Implementation Framework

This implementation framework follows on from the publication of the AHPs strategy for England: AHPs Deliver. The framework gives guidance on how the strategy should be applied during the five years of its lifespan, 2022-2027.

It is broken down into four operating levels. Consider the level of the framework that is most relevant to your work, and take the time to consider and answer the questions. This should take less than 30 minutes.

These operating levels refer to:

  1. Individual – for any individual allied health professional (AHP) who has read and wants to embody the strategy.
  2. Provider – for an AHP, or person working alongside or in support of AHPs, with leadership or oversight within a health or care provider organisation.
  3. System level – for an AHP, or person working alongside or in support of AHPs, with leadership or oversight within a local health or care system.
  4. Regional – for an AHP, or person working alongside or in support of AHPs, with leadership or oversight in one of the NHS regions in England.

Both the AHPs strategy for England and this framework are guided by principles of co-production and anti-racism.

The strategy is underpinned by the four ‘enhanced foundations’ which are a continuation of the four priorities from AHPs into Action, the previous strategy for AHPs in England. These new ‘enhanced foundations’ are:

  • 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 can further harness digital technology and innovation through data.

In this implementation framework, these ‘enhanced foundations’ crossover with the five ‘areas of focus’ which have been described within the strategy. These are:

  • people first
  • optimising care
  • social justice: addressing health and care inequalities
  • environmental sustainability: Greener AHPs
  • strengthening and promoting the AHP community.

These ‘enhanced foundations’ and ‘areas of focus’ are represented in the tables of this framework, allowing readers to consider all relevant strategic factors in one place.

There is no expectation that one person, team, or organisation should consider all aspects of this framework. Instead, this can be an opportunity to focus on areas of personal interest, room for improvement or where there may be an opportunity for role modelling.

These questions should not be answered with yes or no but should instead prompt consideration of these areas. You may also want to consider what evidence you could provide to support your answers.

This framework can also be used as a tool to monitor progress towards embodying and implementing the strategy over the 2022-2027 period. In answering these questions, understand your current areas of strength and where there is room for growth.

The framework can be used to rate questions as red, amber, or green, aligned with your ability to answer these questions satisfactorily. These ratings can be reconsidered annually to monitor progress of implementing this new strategy towards better answering and championing these questions.