Just launched! The UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework 2025-2030!

Summary of the strategic framework.

 

Article written by Linda Hindle and Kyle Kennedy

 

 

“The strategy is a roadmap to embed public health in every AHP role, tackling inequalities, promoting wellbeing & ensuring sustainability.”

 

https://www.ahpf.org.uk/Public_Health.htm

The UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework (2025-2030) published in January builds on the progress from the first UK public health strategic framework 2019-2024.  The new framework has been created by UK AHP teams, professional bodies, and partner organisations. As part of the development of the new framework, we surveyed AHPs to find out their perspectives about public health in relation to their roles and the opportunities to embed a prevention approach.  We heard that AHPs want to be involved in public health; can make significant contributions; and want to deliver more in public health. This framework is therefore intended to provide a shared roadmap to continue to support the AHP community to improve the public’s health.

Our vision is that public health is a core part of all AHP roles and that the positive impact on public health by AHPs is recognised and valued. This can be achieved by enabling AHPs to develop and deliver health and care services with communities that are based on promoting wellbeing and preventing ill health, with a focus on addressing health inequalities and ensuring sustainability.

Our goals:

  1. Knowledge and skills – The current and future AHP workforce will have the skills, knowledge, competence, and behaviours to promote, improve, and protect the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and populations. AHPs will be equipped to embed public health and prevention within the culture of organisations and services they work with, including workforce health and well-being.
  2. Inequalities – AHPs will ensure individuals and communities have equitable access to health and care services without discrimination and prejudice. They will co-produce services with people, including marginalised communities and vulnerable groups, and work collaboratively with individuals to empower them to have choice and control over their health and well-being.
  3. Sustainability – AHPs will deliver services and interventions that are economically and environmentally sustainable, including minimising negative impacts on the environment and making effective use of resources to generate long-term stability for the current and next generation.
  4. Impact – AHPs will be able to demonstrate their contribution to improved outcomes from individual to population level through delivering evidence-based practice. They will use data and intelligence from evaluation and research to guide decision-making, design new models of care, and show impact.
  5. Leadership – AHPs will be empowered to lead and influence across the entirety of the health and care landscape to improve health outcomes for individuals, communities, and populations through developing leadership at every stage in their careers.

We have aimed to create a framework that both serves the AHP workforce and the communities they live in. Every AHP has the potential to be a leader in embedding a public health approach and we want this document to amplify this message. We have deliberately interwoven the “health inequalities” and “sustainability” goals (as threads) to underline that all of our implementation plans to achieve the goals will consider these two elements at every stage.

The next steps are that collaborating partners will develop nation-specific and joined-up implementation plans to embed this strategic framework across nations and professions. The implementation plans will include how we will measure success in relation to each goal. We will do this by working together in a four-nation partnership, prioritising our work in accordance with the strategic goals, and providing strategic leadership to oversee implementation across professional bodies.

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Examples of implementation plan actions:

  • Advocate for public health principles to be included as part of AHP career development programmes at all levels, including support worker development, preceptorship, enhanced, advanced, and consultant-level practice.
  • Articulate and amplify the benefits to the health of the population of diversity within the workforce and anti-discriminatory and inclusive practice.
  • Amplify the links and relevance between public health, health inequalities, climate change, planetary health, and environmental sustainability through publications, learning materials, blogs, and conferences.
  • Work with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Community for Allied Health Professions Research, and other national public health and research agencies to support increased focus on population-level outcomes and health inequalities as part of AHP research.
  • Encourage organisations that employ AHPs to work together to act on public health priorities, for example, in service redesign to incorporate prevention.

This strategic framework represents a shared commitment for championing public health in our professions. It is a collective vision that builds on the significant progress already made by all AHPs and sets a clear path toward a more equitable and sustainable approach to AHP practice.  AHPs have already demonstrated their capacity to lead, innovate, and deliver impactful change. This framework acknowledges this and provides the future direction needed. Together, we will transform our approach to public health and create a resilient workforce. We invite every AHP to embrace this opportunity to lead, to innovate, and to continue making a difference.

Article written by Linda Hindle and Kyle Kennedy

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