Allied Health Professional stars shine

Elizabeth MacLennan, who recently retired as head of occupational therapy, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Trust’s first Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) awards on Tuesday 15 October. The Trust employs around 1,000 AHPs who work at our hospitals and in the community.

Elizabeth, who has been a therapist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for 35 years, received the award for her dedication to the occupational therapy profession.

Elspeth Will, a neuro-disability physiotherapist who leads the acute physiotherapy team at Evelina London, won AHP leader. Elspeth received praise for her leadership skills. One nominator said: “she has brought the whole team together and we have a strong identity and feel very proud to be part of our physiotherapy team.”

Sarah Williams, speech and language therapy assistant for the adult community learning disabilities team, won AHP support worker for her ”tireless efforts to improve health, wellbeing  and life experiences of people with learning disabilities”.

Sarah, who has worked with the team for 16 years, recently introduced “communication passports” for people with learning disabilities in supported living accommodation in Lewisham. The passport is a record of known conditions and personal preferences which patients take to every hospital or health appointment.

Mauricio Martins Rodrigues, an occupational therapist, also won in the same category – AHP support worker – for being “dedicated, professional and creative”.

The other winners are:

• AHP Practice education – Triona Joyce and Peri Gershoni, dietitians

• AHP Rising star – Nicole Foster, speech and language therapist

• AHP Champion – Sunita de Silva, physiotherapist

• AHP Working together – Amputee Rehabilitation Pathway team and Tracy Moon, Nina Mellor and John Spence, radiographers

• AHP Digital Practice and Innovation – Lauren Stuchfield, Orthoptist

• AHP Quality Improvement – Jenny Clark, speech and language therapist

• AHP Evidence into action – Nicole Walmsley, occupational therapist.