Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Day 2020

13 October 2020 - Today (14 October). is Allied Health Professionals Day 2020, an opportunity to celebrate, appreciate and recognise the extraordinary work of 14 diverse AHP roles

These AHP roles consist of, art therapists, drama therapists, music therapists, chiropodists and podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, osteopaths, paramedics, physiotherapists, prosthetists and orthotists, radiographers, and last but by no means least speech and language therapists.

To mark the day, our Head of Speech and Language Therapy, Deirdre Rainbow, discusses the importance of her service: “Speech and language therapy at King’s is a cradle-to-grave service. We see pre-term babies, children, and adults who have problems with eating, drinking and swallowing, and/or communication. Our team of 50 staff is passionate about working in partnership with our patients, their families, and carers to achieve the best possible outcomes. Most of the people we support are inpatients. We also see a small number of outpatients, mainly adults with neurological problems.

“2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the College of Speech Therapists, now the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. We are a dynamic graduate-entry profession, which values diversity, science, research, and innovation.

Vas Nevrides, Practice Development Radiographer, discusses the role of radiographers in the Trust: “We work alongside other AHPs, as well as nursing and medical staff, using cutting edge equipment for diagnosis and treatment. We maintain a 24-hour, 7-day a week service to almost every department, and ward in the hospital. The frontline imaging carried out by radiographers during the COVID pandemic has been crucial in terms of diagnosing and monitoring patients.

“There are two strands of radiography: diagnostic and therapeutic. Diagnostic radiographers perform X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, nuclear medicine, dental, breast, ultrasound, cardiac, and interventional radiography imaging. We also report x-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound images. Without our skills, the diagnosis of many illnesses and diseases would be impossible.

“Therapeutic radiographers are responsible for planning and delivering radiotherapy for cancer patients. They use high powered radiation to target and treat cancers all over the body. Radiography is a dynamic profession developing rapidly in response to changing technological, health, and patient population needs.”

We would like to thank and celebrate all our AHPs for the service they provide.