Osteopathy to Support HEE to Deliver Allied Health Professions

This specification sets out the funding offer from HEE to the Institute of Osteopathy and the associated AHP education reform expectations. The deliverables are designed to complement HEE's AHP Centre of Education and Transformation, created to provide clinical and educational subject matter expertise to shape and deliver a range of workforce transformation activities within the national AHP programme including new ways of working and upskilling. HEE's National AHP Programme (the Programme) currently works across all 14 professions and their associated professional bodies, regulators, and other stakeholders to optimise supply of AHPs, realise the potential of the AHP workforce and ensure a robust career pathway is in place. Significantly, unlike other professions such as nursing and midwifery, the Programme does not have specialists across each of the 14 professions that it covers. Whilst the norm in professions such as nursing and midwifery, the breadth and shear number of professions across the AHPs means there have been barriers to securing dedicated professional focus across all professions. As we progress the reform programme this is a limiting factor. Despite representing the third largest workforce in health, AHP does not have an educational support construct. The Programmes solution to this is the development of a dedicated AHP Centre of Education and Transformation as the delivery arm of the business-as-usual functions of supporting the supply pipeline.

This specification and the associated prior information notice (PIN) for the Institute of Osteopathy is intended to support the educational reform initiatives being undertaken within the AHP Centre of Education and Training Reform. We would not achieve the outcomes of the reform work if some professions were not represented within the centre.

The reason for commissioning the Institute of Osteopathy is because our relationship with the profession is at a much earlier stage than it is with some of the other professional groups. There is limited knowledge within HEE of the osteopathic profession. The profession's educational routes and post registration obligations need to be understood for this profession.

The case for direct award can be found on the following link: https://health-family-contract-search.secure.force.com/?SearchType=Projects

The PIN closing date is midday 9th December.