“The variety of roles within my profession spans the whole human experience”
For Allied Health Professionals Day on 14 October, Libby Hough, head of therapies at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, talks about why she enjoys being a therapist and the wealth of opportunities available to AHPs.
“Variety, collaboration, challenge and fulfilment.
“These are just some of the riches of working alongside my AHP colleagues. I’m a speech and language therapist (SLT) by background and the wide variety of roles within my profession spans the whole human experience.
“I’ve loved caring for people who have neurological diseases, whose speech and swallowing are affected as their disease progresses – little else has been as rewarding as this.
“But I could equally have specialised in working with new-born babies with cleft lip and palate, or children with learning difficulties in mainstream schools, or young offenders with mental health issues, or people with throat cancer.
“We each have ‘speech and language therapist’ on our name badge but our day to day jobs are so very different.
“What isn’t so very different though is the satisfaction that we all can get from a good day at work where we’ve had the privilege, and often challenge, of walking alongside our patients in their journey.
“To be able to support them, cheer them on, help them gain independence, to experience enjoyment and share their joys and sorrows is a daily privilege.
“And this is the case for all my fellow AHP professions.
“My team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital has physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians and therapy support workers as well as SLTs who bring their own clinical specialty and skills to the patient’s journey.
“And we all get to work with so many others in our multi-disciplinary teams: art therapists, nurses, doctors, psychologistsradiographers, social workers... the list goes on.
“There’s career progression opportunities that can take you into advanced care practitioner roles, management and leadership, academic roles, and research .
“The new apprenticeship route makes it even easier to pursue a qualification, especially for those who haven’t followed the typical university option. And it’s funded too!
“It’s not all smiles and roses, but I don’t think any job can claim to be.
“AHPs are as varied as their roles and thankfully, on the whole, really nice people who are committed to what they do and to supporting each other. I haven’t regretted my decision to be an SLT!”
Libby Hough is the head of therapies at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
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