Allied health professions tell new Health Minister Robbie Butler: ‘We can provide many of the solutions’

Northern Ireland’s newly appointed Health Minister Robbie Butler

Northern Ireland’s allied health professions have told newly appointed Health Minister Robbie Butler that they can provide “many of the solutions” needed by the health service, as he takes up the role at what their representative body describes as a critical point for health and social care.

The Allied Health Professions Federation Northern Ireland (AHPFNI) welcomed Mr Butler’s appointment but made clear that significant decisions now lie ahead on staffing, services and the continuing transformation of healthcare.

Allied health professionals — commonly known as AHPs — collectively make up the second-largest group of healthcare professionals within Northern Ireland’s health service, giving the sector a significant role in how services are redesigned and delivered.

‘A critical time for health and social care’

Cora Regan, Co-Chair of AHPFNI, said the change of minister comes as work is already under way in important areas of health reform.

“The new minister arrives at a critical time for health and social care, as significant decisions need to be made to deliver the workforce and services that can meet the needs of the population.

“There is already momentum around many notable areas of work, such as the Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbeing and we hope that the new minister is prepared to build on this work and drive forward delivery.

“The allied health professions can provide many of the solutions that our health system needs, and we look forward to working closely with the minister in the months ahead to ensure that we are well positioned to deliver on that potential.”

A major part of Northern Ireland’s health workforce

Allied health professions encompass a diverse range of practitioners working across health and social care, often alongside doctors, nurses and other professionals as part of multidisciplinary teams.

AHPFNI provides collective, independent leadership and representation on issues affecting its member professions across Northern Ireland.

The federation argues that the autonomy of allied health professionals, alongside their ability to develop new approaches to care and work across professional boundaries, puts them in a strong position to contribute to the transformation and rebuilding of health services.

That gives its message to the new minister a wider significance: while welcoming his appointment, the federation is also signalling that it wants allied health professionals to be part of the decisions about how Northern Ireland tackles workforce pressures and reshapes services.

For Mr Butler, the challenge will now be moving from existing plans and reform programmes towards delivery — with AHPFNI making clear that one of the health service’s largest professional groups wants to play a central role in what comes next.