Dr Susanne Arnold PhD is the current Deputy Chair of the BGS NAHPs Council and will take over as Chair from November 2026. Susanne works as an Assistant Professor at the Warwick Clinical Trials Unit (CTU), University of Warwick, in the Pain, Surgery and Rehabilitation theme and is a physiotherapist by background.
Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Day on 14 October is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution that we all make to health and care services for older people, and the people and communities that we serve.
This year’s BGS theme, ‘AHPs in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills,’ is inspired by the NHSE AHPs Deliver strategy and highlights the breadth, expertise and adaptability of the AHP workforce. From prevention and early intervention through to rehabilitation, long-term condition management and end of life care, AHPs play a crucial role at every stage of an older person’s health and care journey.
AHPs bring a diverse range of knowledge and skills to the multidisciplinary team. Whether working as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, speech and language therapists, radiographers, podiatrists, paramedics, operational department practitioners, prosthetists and orthotists, orthoptists, osteopaths, art therapists, drama therapists or music therapists, they provide specialist expertise that can help older people remain independent, recover from illness or injury, manage long-term conditions and live well.
Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills is about more than simply having the right number of staff. It is about recognising and valuing the unique contribution AHPs can make and enabling them to use their skills where they can have the greatest impact. It means embracing new ways of working, working across traditional boundaries and ensuring that older people can access the right professional and the right support when they need it.
Allied Health Professions Day gives us the chance to recognise and celebrate the difference AHPs make every day. It is also an opportunity to look ahead: to continue developing our professions, supporting innovation and ensuring that AHP expertise remains central to delivering high-quality, person-centred care for older people.
Today, we celebrate AHPs - the skills, knowledge, compassion and commitment they bring to health and care, and the contribution they make to improving the lives of individuals, families and communities.
