AHPs could take on new and varied roles.

The characteristics of allied health professionals (AHPs), which include radiographers, are essential to transforming health and social care, says a new report launched by the Department of Health.

A High Quality Workforce, which forms part of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review, sets out a vision for the NHS workforce and places AHPs firmly at the centre of high quality care.

The report recognises that, although AHPs are "crucial" in providing a high quality health service, the "range of knowledge, skills and competences that AHPs have to offer is not widely or fully understood."

This, the report claims, means that the potential for AHPs to take on new and varied roles in not always maximised.

As a result, the DH has set out its plans to modernise AHP careers and supports the UK-wide Modernising Allied Health Professions Careers project that started in 2005.

A number of web-based tools and resources will be launched shortly, which the government says, will be useful in planning more flexible career pathways and ensuring future employment.

Richard Evans, SoR's CEO, commented: "It is good to see that AHPs as a group receive attention in “A high Quality Workforce”. AHPs in general and radiographers in particular have, in many centres, already developed well along the path of inter-disciplinary collaboration and cross-professional working.

"Our own four-tier structure for the radiography profession was in the vanguard of competence-based workforce planning. We now want to see our professions occupy an ever more central role in healthcare delivery.

"The NHS Next Stage Review and “A High Quality Workforce” make ambitious promises to support AHPs in providing excellent integrated care. The SCoR will be seeking to work at national and local levels to ensure that the radiographic workforce is prominently involved and recognised."

To find out more download A High Quality Workforce.

Posted: 30/06/2008