What Organisations Represent AHPs And Are They Important?

What Organisations Represent AHPs And Are They Important?

Unite and Unison are the two unions most associated with healthcare. Do they represent Allied Health Professionals the same way as Doctors and Nurses are represented by the British Medical Association and The Royal College of Nursing respectively?

Are there organisations, other than Trades Unions, that have a role in representing AHPs professionally?

There are 14 allied health professions in total. 13 are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Osteopaths are regulated separately, by the General Osteopathic Council (GOC).

Over 150,000 work across all health and social care settings, the justice system, local authorities, private and voluntary sectors, and primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Combined, Allied Health Professionals are the third largest workforce in the NHS.

Given this number, do you think that AHPs are suitably professionally represented within the healthcare sector? Comment 💬 Like ❤️ Reply 🙂 below.

Unite and Unison are the two unions that cover healthcare workers. Membership of a union can have several benefits.

Among these, a union has the power to negotiate contracts that improve working conditions, lobby the government and other bodies, as well as develop and influence policy in order to improve patient care and the employment conditions of its members.

Are the unions effective in their representation of AHPs, or do you think that as a cohort, AHPs are under-represented when compared against Nurses or Doctors?

Unions also offer legal support to members. Additionally, they can offer advice and support on employment matters, career development, immigration and welfare.

COVID has highlighted the need for the healthcare sector to work more closely. Do the unions have a part to play safeguarding the roles of AHPs in any transition?

There is also the Allied Health Professions Federation (AHPF) which, although not a union, is a representative body for 12 AHP professional bodies across the UK.

This is excluding The College of Operating Department Practitioners and The Institute of Osteopathy.

The AHPF provides collective leadership and representation on common issues that impact its members’ professions.

Is it possible for the two types of organisation to successfully co-exist, or do you think there will inevitably be some jostling for influence?

Recently, the AHPF has been lobbying the government for overseas AHPs and their families to be included in the automatic visa extension scheme, and suggesting that, in order to protect staffing levels, the scheme last longer than the year currently allowed.

Also, back in March, when coronavirus was at its height, they were calling for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure adequate supplies of PPE and the inclusion of AHPs into any prioritised COVID-19 testing.

So, just how important and effective are the organisations representing Allied Health Professionals?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and please Like the article if you found it of interest.

Thanks.