Colleagues from St Margaret’s Hospice were proud to take part in this year’s Somerset Festival of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), held at Canalside in Bridgwater. The event brought together a wide range of AHPs from across health and social care to celebrate their vital contribution to the Somerset community.
The festival aligned with national AHPs Day on 14 October, which this year highlighted opportunities for AHPs to contribute to the NHS 10-Year Plan’s Three Shifts: Treatment to Prevention; Analogue to Digital; and Hospital to Community.
Representing St Margaret’s, Debbie Parkes, Lead Lymphoedema Specialist, delivered a well-received presentation reflecting on the benefits of a physiotherapist leading a lymphoedema late effects clinic. Her session explored the impact of innovative, clinically led approaches to supporting people living with the long-term effects of cancer treatment.
Debbie said she was delighted to showcase the work taking place at St Margaret’s, adding her support to the value of AHPs working within hospice care.
Amanda Wilkins, Associate Director of Clinical Services, shared the broader contribution of AHPs within St Margaret’s Hospice, emphasising the difference they make every day to patients and families across Somerset:
At St. Margaret’s Hospice, we recognise the value AHPs can bring to the lives of patients and their families. The Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists at the hospice improve the quality of life for hundreds of people each year. They focus on what matters to individuals, providing advice, solutions, treatments and equipment to help them make the most of their abilities and minimise the impact of their symptoms.Amanda Wilkins, Associate Director of Clinical Services
AHPs work across the health and social care in Somerset, and the conference brought these different professionals together to share innovation, learning and opportunities from across different organisations. It was a fantastic opportunity to share the reflections of our Lead Lymphoedema Specialist, who is a Physiotherapist, around the development and delivery of a collaborative late effects lymphoedema clinic.
We continue to work together with the wider health and social care system in Somerset, seeking to improve pathways of care for our patients and share our palliative care expertise and experience. I will be taking on the role of vice chair for the Somerset AHP council where we will continue to facilitate system wide collaboration.
Their presence at the festival highlights St Margaret’s commitment not only to delivering excellent, personalised clinical care, but also to championing the vital role of Allied Health Professionals in helping people live well for as long as possible.