11 October 2022

Allied Health Professions (AHPs) day falls on 14 October each year for all members of the AHP community, as well as anyone who wants to celebrate the great work that AHPs do and those who want to learn more about our wonderful professions.

At CNWL our AHPs include

  • Art Therapists
  • Drama Therapists
  • Music Therapists
  • Chiropodists
  • Podiatrists
  • Dieticians
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Operating Department Practitioners
  • Orthoptists
  • Osteopaths,
  • Paramedics,
  • Physiotherapists,
  • Prosthetists 
  • Orthotists
  • Radiographers
  • and Speech and Language Therapists

This year we asked our AHPs to share what’s in their work bag to explain more about the work they do.  Share yours on twitter using #AHPWhatsinyourworkbag #AHPsDay @cnwlnhs

Through our daily tools our AHPs want to show the diversity of roles we have at CNWL.

Amanda Taylor, Community Rehabilitation Occupational Therapist at Gospel Oak Integrated Primary Care, has the following items in her bag which you can see on the picture below. 

  • Blood pressure monitor
  • Pulse oxometer
  • Thermometer
  • Tape measure
  • Sticky dots
  • How to manage fatigue booklet
  • Pain Management plan book
  • Memory prompt labels for a patient’s drawers

Amanda's work bag

Praveena Patel, AHP Podiatry Lead at CNWL and ​​​​Jenni de Knoop, Dance Movement Psychotherapist shared the films below to show you whats in their bags. 

Background to AHP Day

In 2018 Rachael Brandreth, a dietitian and Carrie Biddle, a speech and language therapist, were sharing a bus home after a long challenging day at work, reflecting on AHPs into Action and how AHPs could deliver on their commitments and deliver even more impact. They had the idea of starting a social movement to celebrate everything that is great about AHPs, and tweeted the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, Suzanne Rastrick, to find out if they could have an AHP appreciation day. That evening, Suzanne retweeted that tweet and Twitter went crazy. There was so much support for the idea and in less than 24 there was buy-in from all 14 of the professions – and on 14 October 2018 AHPs’ Day was born.

Each year the scale of activity and energy has grown. In 2021, it was recognised by the AHP community that the social movement had achieved its goal, and AHPs’ Day is now a regular date in the annual calendar.