Enhance, Include, Evolve: New Ways of Working for allied health professionals
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200900028 |
| Date | 11 December 2009 |
| Pages | 18-20 |
| Published date | 11 December 2009 |
| Author | Wendy Osborn,Genevieve Smyth |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
18 The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 4 December 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd
Enhance, Include, Evolve:
New Ways of Working for
allied health professionals
Abstract
The final report for allied heal th professions
Enhance, Include, Evolve: New Ways of Working
for allied health professio nals (Care Services
Improvemen t Partnershi p/National I nstitute of
Mental Health in England, 2008a) is the culmination
of a journey that the allied health professionals
have travelled over the past six years. Their aim
has been to refresh practice in the light of recent
policies and initiatives and, in particular, New
Ways of Working.
Key words
Allied health professionals; New Ways of Working
(NWW); occupat ional therapist s; dieticians;
physiotherapists; drama therapists; arts therapists;
speech and language therapists
Introduction
Allied health professionals (AHPs) work with individuals
from all age groups, clinical specialties and settings, and
are the second largest staff group after nursing. They
include occupational therapists, art therapists, dieticians,
drama therapists, music therapists, physiotherapists and
speech and language therapists.
From the outset, the New Ways of Working programme
enabled AHPs to explore their work roles in relation to
other team members and also from a service user and carer
perspective. Networks of interested professionals who
were able to champion the work developed rapidly. These
networks have proved invaluable as ongoing debates
among the AHPs about the relative merits of New Ways
of Working have ens ued. Values-based practice and
competency-based practice have given clear steers about
how to deal with changing professi onal bounda ries.
Documents such as Capabilities f or Inclusive Practice
(Department of Health et al, 2008) and Three Keys to a
Shared Approach in Mental Health Assessment (Care Services
Improvement Partnership/National Institute of Mental
Health in England, 2008b) have provided structured
frameworks to assist AHPs with the delivery of New
Ways of Working. There is no doubt that this work
has challenged AHPs, but its focus on leadership and
redistribution of responsibility has increased confidence
in professional capabilities and given people permission
to do things differently.
Recommendations
Recommendations for AHPs from New Ways of Working
for Psychiatrists (Care Services Improvement Partnership
et al, 2005) highlighted the need for more leadership
and strategic direction. The Mental Health Allied Health
Professions Advisory Group rose to this challenge, and
with representation from different professional groups,
service users and carers, worked hard together to produce
Enhance, Include, Evolve. The complexities of working with
six different professional bodies along with the conscious
decision to involve service users and carers at every level,
meant that the document took three years to produce.
It progressed through several revisions to finish with a
document that is succinct, yet thorough. It provides a
toolkit for embracing change.
Wendy Osborn
AHP Consultant, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Genevieve Smyth
Professional Affairs Officer for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, College of Occupational Therapists
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