Three North East London Health & Care Partnership finalists made it through to the national Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Awards which took place online on Thursday 13 October, including an entry from the NEL AHP’s Careers Ambassador’s Project for the Leadership for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category.
ELFT’s Experiential Learning Centre space hosted NEL AHP colleagues from across North East London who were joined by ELFT CEO Paul Calaminus, NEL Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Nursing Officer Diane Jones and NEL ICB Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Gilluley.
The room sung out with applause with the announcement that Bill Leaning, Clinical Manager & Senior Flight Paramedic with the Physician Response Unit from Barts Health NHS Trust was the winner of the AHP Innovation & improvement in Integrated Care Systems Award for his work to improve patient safety and wellbeing.
Another colleague of Bill’s from Barts who made the finals was Graeme Syme, Specialist Gastroenterology Dietitian, nominated for the AHP Digital Practice Award.
The NEL AHP Ambassador’s Project, created and coproduced alongside Care City, with NEL AHP Council and Faculty, was established in 2021 with the aim to make the AHP workforce more representative of the communities in which they work.
Across the year, 40 BAME AHP Career Ambassadors set out to engage and energise the local community with a multi-media campaign, an online conference, the creation of a dedicated careers website and outreach work in school and other community hubs.
A focus early on in 2021 was the planning and creation of a five-story high piece of public art, celebrating the work of AHPs in Leyton.
The stunning public mural was unveiled to the public in December 2021, an enigmatic representation of a member of the Tower Hamlets based Gardening for Health Group.
The BAME AHP Career Ambassador’s project, finalist for the CAPHO Leadership for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion category.
Despite not winning, Suhailah Mohamed, Occupational Therapist and NHS England’s Head of AHPs and a member of the BAME Career Ambassador’s Project entry said:
“We are all incredibly proud to get this far.
“Out of 24 nominations we were part of a shortlist of just four.
“It’s a celebration of everything that north east London stands for – the diversity of our populations, and our unity and cohesion.”
NEL ICP Chief Nursing Officer Diane Jones said:
“I’m incredibly proud of all our colleagues that made it through to the finals, as well as our north east London AHP workforce as a whole.
“It’s a diverse range of professions that come under that umbrella, and all of them really are the life-force of our NHS. Without them there wouldn’t be an NHS!
NEL ICP Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Gilluley said:
“Congratulations to Bill for winning. That was as very well deserved award, but congratulations also to both Graeme and the BAME Careers Ambassadors – all of you are doing incredible work, and are a shining example of the standards of excellence that define the regional and national AHP family.”
Stephen Sandford AHP Lead at ELFT said:
"It was a joy to host this event for NEL AHPs, their commitment to service user care and innovation knows no bounds!"
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