Allied Health Professionals 'key' to rebuilding NHS, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt tells Derry conference
The Health Minister has paid tribute to NI’s Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and acknowledged their unique contribution in improving healthcare outcomes at a conference in Derry.
Mike Nesbitt said AHPs have a key role to play in the work to rebuild and restructure the Health and Social Care (HSC) system.
He was speaking at the Allied Health Professionals Conference 2025, organised in conjunction with Ulster University (UU) and attended by approximately 250 people, including staff from across the health and social care sector, Department of Health officials and UU representatives.
“Having the right workforce with the right skills, knowledge and behaviours will be key to both transforming and building sustainable health and social care services for the future,” Mike Nesbitt said.
“Each profession employed within our system is vital to the delivery of services. Allied Health professions, and those in support roles, have a key role to play as we move forward rebuilding and restructuring the health and social care system.
“We must fully recognise and acknowledge the unique and critical contribution which you all make to improving healthcare outcomes and experiences of people at every stage of their life.”
Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are the second largest clinical workforce in health and social care, with 14 professions, which are Podiatry, Paramedics, Speech and Language therapists, Dietitians, Orthoptists, Occupational Therapists, Prosthetists, Art therapists, Drama therapists, Music therapists, Physiotherapists, Diagnostic radiographers, Therapeutic radiographers and Orthotics.
In May, the Minister announced a significant package of investment in the HSC workforce, with a major focus on expanding student training places for future AHPs.
This year, the Department will commission 505 AHP pre-registration training places, the highest number on record.
The conference, which took place in UU’s Magee Campus, marked the first for the Department’s Chief AHP Officer, Professor Michelle Tennyson, since she took up her post in January 2024.
Professor Tennyson said: “This conference was a powerful example of what can be achieved when academia and the health and social care systems come together with shared purpose.
“By aligning education, research, and service delivery, we are creating stronger pathways for AHPs and better outcomes for those for whom we care. I’m proud of the leadership shown on all sides to make this collaboration possible, and of what it signals for the future of integrated, person-centred care.”
Professor Daniel Kerr, head of the School of Health Sciences at Ulster University, said: “Ulster University School of Health Sciences was proud to co-host the 2025 AHP Conference with the Department of Health, marking the first time this strategic partnership has delivered a joint event of this scale.
“It was brilliant to see the event hosted at the Derry~Londonderry Campus. The conference brought together academic leaders, policymakers, and clinicians to explore the evolving role of AHPs in shaping the future of health and social care through research, innovation, and education.
“This partnership signals a new direction, where higher education and health system leadership combine to deliver impact at scale, support workforce transformation, and help build a world-class healthcare system for the population of Northern Ireland.”
Other speakers at the conference in Derry included the Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Mike Farrar and consultant Peter McBride, as well as representatives from various Allied Health professions.