14 October 2024
Allied health professionals (AHPs) use their unique skills and knowledge to promote both physical and mental wellbeing. AHPs are experts in helping you keep fit and well in addition to supporting you to recover after illness or injury. NHS Borders provides a broad spectrum of AHP services from arts therapies to radiographers both in hospital and in the community.
We are using AHP day to highlight what our AHPs do and how you can get the right care in the right place.
Some of our AHP services require referral from your GP or another healthcare professional. This could be support from a community dietitian following surgery, music therapy as part of our Learning Disability Service, being reviewed by an orthotist after a stroke, or an occupational therapist supporting you returning to work after a major trauma injury. Please ask your GP or medical team what support or input may be beneficial.
Our Children and Young People’s services operate a “Request for Assistance” approach where any young person, carer, teacher or other professional can contact our services to raise concerns about issues around speech and language, equipment needs or physical development. These services not only provide 1:1 therapy, but also a wide range of resources and education to help children and families manage at home. Find more information here.
Other AHP services such as physiotherapy and podiatry operate a self referral system. Individuals can contact the physiotherapy service in relation to range of musculoskeletal problems causing pain, weakness and loss of function. A digital platform called Phio is accessible to all Borders residents to receive a comprehensive digital assessment before being guided towards the most appropriate form of care. This includes urgent attention for 'red flag' symptoms and face-to-face appointments with a GP or physiotherapist as required.
Paul Williams, our Associate Director of AHPs said: “Our AHP teams provide a broad range of services to help you stay fit and well. They can help prevent a wide range of illnesses and injury and can support your recovery and rehabilitation. Knowing which services are available and how to access them is essential to getting the right care in the right place.”
“Our AHPs play a vital role in delivering care in NHS Borders and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for all of their hard work.”
Find out more about our AHPs here: nhsborders.scot.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/our-services/allied-health-professionals/allied-health-professionals/
More information on right care right place can be found here: Right care right place | NHS inform