Chief AHP's blog
Date of release: 30 October 2023
New appointments following summit
by Ros Leslie
I’m proud and delighted to announce Karen Lewis and I have been appointed as the Chief Allied Health Professional (AHPs) for the Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS) until March 2024.
Jointly with Karen, Chief AHP from The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (DGFT), we will lead the development and delivery of agreed priorities of the ICS for the AHP workforce, supporting the ICS to scope our potential strategic and operational contributions.
This will be informed by policies such as the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS People Plan, the ICS People Strategy, and the Allied Health Professions Strategy for England.
This will include the redesign of clinical pathways, bringing senior AHP leadership and clinical expertise to the ICS to deliver the ICS transformational aims.
We will be working with colleagues from across the system to ensure the AHP voice and its contribution is part of the ongoing discussion, and that the impact will be felt by our patients, our population, our communities, and – importantly - our workforce.
Following the success of our inaugural Black Country AHP Leadership Summit in April 2023, more than 150 health and social care AHP leaders, educators, researchers, and support workers from the region joined Karen and I at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich for our second AHP Leadership Summit.
Karen Lewis (left) with Dr Ros Leslie, the Chief AHPs for the Black Country Integrated Care System
The summit, hosted by the Black Country AHP Council, was an opportunity to celebrate AHPs’ Day and to share examples of best practice and the importance of collaborative working.
Dr Ananta Dave, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB), opened the event along with Sally Roberts, its Chief Nursing Officer.
Attendees heard from our key speakers, including Jenny Glynn, Chair of the Black Country AHP and Nursing Faculty. Jenny introduced the Faculty programmes of work, which include clinical placement expansion, apprenticeships, preceptorship, AHP support workforce and workforce data.
The Research ABC project team, led by Dr Ali Aries, AHP Research Lead at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, provided an update on its work to help support ongoing AHP research activities across the system.
To close the event, an award ceremony was hosted by Sir David Nicholson, Joint Chair of DGFT, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, highlighting the innovative work being carried out by AHPs across the Black Country ICS.
We are already starting to plan our next summit and will be seeking feedback from attendees to help inform our agenda.
Take care,
Ros
