Framing the contribution of allied health professionals: delivering high-quality healthcare

High Quality Care For All, the final report of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review, signals the third stage in the journey of reforming the health service in order to deliver high-quality healthcare to the public.

It refocuses attention on the quality of care patients and the public receive.

This shift in focus is exemplified in the improved AHP service offer for the public announced by the Rt Honourable Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Health, on 21 October 2008.

This offer centres on three key aspects for improving the services that allied health professionals deliver.

• The collection of referral to treatment data for AHP services and support service redesign to improve services for patients.
• The promotion of the benefits of self-referral to physiotherapy services, and encourage local extension of self-referral to other AHP services, where appropriate, in order to make them more accessible.
• The improvement of the quality of services delivered and empowerment of patients through the development of quality metrics; by highlighting the benefits of personal health budgets and integrated care organisations; and through the use of information prescriptions for allied health professionals and their services.