The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics
Annual Report 2014 to 2015
Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. ACPOHE as a professional network 3
2.1. Membership 3
2.2. Registered Membership 3
3. PNCF and the Occupational Roles Alliance 4
4. Supporting members with their learning and development 4
4.1. Conference 2015 4
4.2. The Competency Framework 4
4.3. ACPOHE courses 4
4.4. CPD 6
4.4.1. Regional Network groups 6
4.4.2. Journal 6
4.4.3. Monthly e News 7
4.4.4. Horizon Scanning 7
4.4.5. Website 7
Period March-May 2015 7
Period May-Sept 2015 8
3.5.5 Guidance Documents 8
4.5. Supporting and encouraging research 9
5. Encouraging evidence based practice and a high standard of professional practice 9
5.1. Setting standards 9
5.2. Outcome measures for OH physiotherapy 9
6. Strengthening the influence and profile of Occupational Health Physiotherapy and ACPOHE 9
6.1. Key areas of influence we are involved in are as follows: 9
6.2. The Council for Work & Health 10
6.3. Conferences and Events 10
6.4. ARC 10
6.4. WCPT 11
6.5. Response to consultation documents 11
7. Increasing members’ active engagement with ACPOHE 11
8. Ensuring sustained financial and organisational success 11
1. Introduction
This report covers a period of 18 months from the last AGM held May 2014 until 20 November 2015. The ACPOHE Executive Committee has made continued progress on a number of fronts during this period to deliver the objectives of ACPOHE as a professional network.
In the first quarter of 2014, the committee reviewed the ACPOHE strategic plan and along with reviewing results from the members survey agreed on the priorities for the pending period. This was achieved by rating our achievement in each area and identifying specific elements to be improved. Our direction and priorities remain largely consistent as we continue to reflect the CSP Corporate Strategy. This plan drives our activity year to year and members are encouraged to view and contribute; it can be downloaded from the Members Zone of the website. There are 5 objectives of our activity, they are to:
1. Support members with their learning and development
2. Actively encourage evidence based practice and a high standard of professional practice
3. Strengthen the influence and profile of Occupational Health Physiotherapy and ACPOHE
4. Increase members’ active engagement with ACPOHE
5. Ensure sustained financial and organisational success
2. ACPOHE as a professional network
2.1. Membership
Tracey Atkinson continues to fulfil the Membership role.
As of the end of October 2015 there are currently 395 full ACPOHE members.
There are also 5 overseas members and 18 Associate members:
This gives a total of total of 418. This is up from 329 compared to this time last year.
A contributor to this increase is the corporate membership scheme that was introduced last year. It was agreed that corporate membership would be available for those companies employing 5 or more occupational health physiotherapists to gain one free place for every 4.
There are now regular reminders going out to members when their membership is due for renewal.
2.2. Registered Membership
There are now 80 members registered, this number consists of:
60 members who have become registered members through Route 1 with 12 still outstanding.
18 through Route 2 with 30 outstanding and
2 through Route 3 with 7 outstanding.
If all members in process submit this takes registered membership up to 129. The target target for End of 2015 was 250.
There has recently been an e-mail sent out to all those that haven’t completed yet, to extend submission until the end of the year.
Requests for volunteers to become mentors and markers for the registered membership process have been put in the e-news and journal throughout the year, but there have been no members who have come forward to help with this activity as yet.
This coming year committee will be looking at how to monitor registered members 10 hours of CPD, which is a requirement of the scheme.
3. PNCF and the Occupational Roles Alliance
This year Miles Atkinson, has represented ACPOHE at the Professional Network Chairs Forum (PNCF) and in the Occupational Roles Alliance. Our Alliance is made up PhysioFirst, ACPAT, MLAP, ACPIHC, LAMPS. The alliance meets 3 times each year.
We continue to receive communications from the various CSP committees. We continue to pass these on through e-news and the journal.
4. Supporting members with their learning and development
4.1. Conference 2015
This year the conference did not go ahead in its usual format due to the committee taking the opportunity to contribute to physiotherapy UK. The ACPOHE work and health symposium titled “Subjective assessment, does the work question really matter” was well attended and very successful due in no small part to excellent presentations by Christine Parker (Healthy work conversations) and Angela Sutherland (Assessing fitness for work).
The aim of the symposium was to stimulate non specialist Physiotherapists to think about their brief encounters with work on a daily basis and understand the small but important part they may play in keeping someone in work. It was hoped that this would stimulate awareness of ACPOHE and increase membership. The result of this has yet to be defined.
It was acknowledged that established members still required an annual CPD therefore the study day was arranged to achieve this. The study day will be evaluated and a decision regarding the CPD format for the coming year will be discussed.
4.2. The Competency Framework
The ACPOHE Competency Framework has now been in existence for 3 full years. It forms a basis for the SEQOHS evidence requirements and is being used in a targeted manner. Beyond SEQOHS we do not fully understand the level of use throughout the membership. Understanding this and further developing the framework is a priority for the coming year.
The ACPOHE courses are now all mapped against the competency framework to allow targeted course selection against CPD requirements.
4.3. ACPOHE courses
12 courses were arranged in 2015. 5 were cancelled year, the remaining 7 educated a total of 100 delegates
3 courses for 2016 currently being advertised on website
Course development
The committee are currently working on how best to use different methods of delivering some of the existing course content and new courses using webinars, e-learning and blended learning options to improve access to the courses.
Post graduate ACPOHE training
There remains a desire for multidisciplinary training and the development of standards/a curriculum for post graduate OH training from most health professional bodies whose members work in occupational health.
The main principle that should guide our work in this area is that all Chartered Physiotherapists working independently in OH and ergonomics have a standard baseline level of competency and this fits with ACPOHE registered membership.
To achieve this in the future we would like to see qualifying courses relating to a standard that Chartered physiotherapists should achieve to be registered with ACPOHE and working in these areas. We understand a curriculum could be developed and delivery be managed by a central multidisciplinary body e.g. the National School of Occupational Health. If this is successful ACPOHE would be central in the creation of the curriculum and our members leading/involved in the delivery of elements of the course.
If a baseline qualification is introduced then our ACPOHE courses should continue after the 'qualifying' course but would cater for the higher levels of achievement (e.g. C and D) of the competencies in our frame work.
We will continue to monitor the work of the National school of Occupational Health, however will continue to develop our curriculum in anticipation of these changes.
Tutor information
Pressure remains on tutors especially on their available time, we need more tutors but experience has shown that we need personal recommendations for effective handover.
The current list of ACPOHE Tutors is:
Introduction to Occupational Health Physiotherapy
Nicky Hunter
Amanda Jones
Introduction to Applied Ergonomics
Glyn smith
Jan Vickery (as available)
Elaine if held in Edinburgh
Office workstation (DSE) ergonomics level 1
Catherine Albert
Kathy Roberts
Office workstation (DSE) ergonomics level 2
Kathy Roberts
Katharine Metters
Assessing Fitness for Work
Glyn Smith
Katy Burke
Occupational Rehabilitation & Work Hardening
TBC
David Bonham
Upper Limb Disorders
Pauline Cole
Kathy Roberts
Psychological Interventions for Occupational Health
Dr. Julie Denning
Manual Handling
Currently no tutor
Other contacts:
Heather Gray – advisor on course content
Katharine Metters – education officer
If anybody is interested in becoming a tutor for either the Manual Handling course or the Occupational Rehab and Work hardening course please contact Katharine Metters with details of their professional experience relating to the teaching of the course and their teaching qualifications.
4.4. CPD
When we rolled out the registered level we also introduced a requirement that Registered members undertake 10 hours of relevant CPD each year. This is not currently being audited. We are however piloting the application of the Society of Occupational medicines annual appraisal and CPD review. Results of this pilot will be shared when they become available.
4.4.1. Regional Network groups
Challenges remain regarding the logistics of providing high quality CPD meetings resulting in many regions being inactive regarding CPD.
However in some regions active sessions are taking place which brings great benefits to members regarding networking and keeping in touch with pertinent OH issues.
Attempts are being made to deliver CPD webinars. Help is needed from members to help support this process. Please helpto support your regional representative by coming up with ideas for CPD sessions, offering to host lectures, lead a session, or proving contact details of suitable speakers.
4.4.2. Journal
Mark Kingston has stepped into the shoes of Merrin Froggett and continues to develop the journal.
1. Volume 19.2 (first digital only version) incurred some one-off costs for items such as:
· One-off art work & design for digital journal
· Creation of new ACPOHE logo/artwork
Moving forward, it is estimated that there will be a £1300-1500 save per journal by being digital only.
2. New ACPOHE logo/branding has been created – in our usual colours, plus B&W for print/digital purposes.
3. One of the main advantages of the new digital format is the increased functionality. With this in mind, we are aiming to introduce more links to current evidence and podcasts for CPD purposes and to keep abreast of the latest trends and industry developments.
4. New contributors who are experienced clinicians in their relevant fields have agreed to submit articles on an on-going basis. For example, the Chair of the IFOMPT organising committee will be writing a series of articles pre- and post-IFOMPT 2016.
5. Feedback on the new digital format has been overwhelmingly positive. As ever, we value your opinions – please keep them coming: tweet @ACPOHE or @mkingston11 or email
4.4.3. Monthly e News
E-news has been running for 5 years now. The aim of the e-news is to keep members up to date between quarterly journals. It includes short news stories, some light hearted, with links that can be clicked to access the full story, current news of courses, ACPOHE committee activity, reports, guidelines and OH updates and more recently job opportunities. E news is published 1-2 times per month.
We have seen a gradually increasing opening rate of 55% which is encouraging
If members have information they would like included or have comments on the format or content please contact Maggi Holmes
4.4.4. Horizon Scanning
Jonathan Hill has been doing an excellent job of producing Horizon scanning which has been included in the journal and added to the website.
4.4.5. Website
There has been significant improvements on the website and much work in order to improve the resources that we deliver to our members. These include:
- Promoting OH Physio - Improved integration to social media to raise the profile of OH Physiotherapy
- Professional Guidance - Continued updating of guidance documents making them easily accessible to all members
- Analytics - Improved understanding of who is accessing the website thereby justifying its existence
- New Services - Offering more resources to members including adding the Job Opportunity section on the website
- Regional Networks - Improved communication with regional networks
- OH Journal - Continued portal for access to the OH Journal
Please see below for a more detailed view of what has taken place across the website over the past year.
Period March-May 2015
1. Google Analytics site usage:
Now able to monitor use of site using Google Analytics in order to get benchmark of the use of the site. Some highlights:
- 1471 new viewers with 58% bounce rate
- Home page most common landing page
- UK most number of session (1402) followed by US (313) with highest proportion of new session (98%)
- London highest sessions 348 (51%new), then Bury – 51 (only 8% new)
Chasing Tim at Mulberry Media on integration with Facebook and Twitter
2. Website updates
· Various page updates including:
o Job Opportunities
o Regional Network news – page with news, archive and contacts
o Horizon scanning
o OHP Journal –March journal available on main page
o Pay scales on non-member zone (http://www.acpohe.org.uk)
o Guidance docs - SEQOHS Guidance, transfer of records
o Committee minutes - http://www.acpohe.org.uk/node/138
Period May-Sept 2015
1. Google Analytics site usage:
· Now able to monitor use of site using Google Analytics in order to get benchmark of the use of the site. Some highlights:
o 4683 new visitors in reporting period (5 months) (longer than previous reporting period which showed 1471 new visitors over 1.5 months)
o Landing page still highest visited page, now home page has increased in frequency:
1. Landing page
2. Home page
3. Details of events
4. User accounts
5. Physio near you
6. Membership
7. Job opportunities
8. ICPS
9. Sept intro course