This blog was written by Katie Puplett, Chief AHP at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, for AHP Day 2026
“Hello my name is Katie Puplett and I am the Chief Allied Health Professional at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. The 14th of October marks national AHP Day, please join me in raising awareness and celebrating the amazing work of the AHPs across our organisation.
Allied health professionals are a really important part of the health and care team at our Trust and include dieticians, occupational therapists, orthotists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, paramedics, prosthetists, orthoptists, diagnostic radiographers, therapeutic radiographers, operating department practitioners and speech and language therapists. Each AHP has a vital role to play in helping people live well and reach their potential.
AHPs make a difference because of their ability to care for our patients and service users holistically, placing their needs at the heart of all they do. They bring a wide variety of skills and backgrounds to our Trust with a focus on the prevention of ill-health alongside improving health and wellbeing. They really help to maximise the potential for people to live full and active lives within their family circles, social networks, education/training settings and the workplace. AHPs are integral to multidisciplinary teams bringing a unique perspective to patient care.
I am a physiotherapist by background and have worked in a variety of clinical areas, including acute, community and mental health services. Prior to joining LTHT I was Chief AHP at a neighbouring Trust for almost four years and before that I worked at NHS England where I developed and implemented health policy and strategy. During this time, I always ensured I brought the voice of AHP’s to the programmes I was involved with and worked closely with clinicians, patients and carers to make certain that their views were at the heart of all I developed. Whilst at NHSE I completed a master’s degree in health policy which has been integral to bridging the gap between clinical practice and leadership, strategic thinking and the implementation of policy.
It’s fantastic to be able to come into a Trust that recognises the value of AHPs. In my role as chief AHP there are a few really important areas that I work with other senior AHPs to look at. Firstly, to make sure that we can make sure that AHPs working at our Trust have a really positive experience and have a great place to work. We’re helping our AHPs progress and develop their careers which is so important for retention. We are also looking at how we can attract more people in thinking about an AHP career.
It’s important for me to raise the profile of AHPs within our Trust, and to encourage teams and services to consider the skill mix within their teams and where an AHP might be able to add value. I work closely with other lead AHPs within the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Systems and we’re now establishing new ways of working across the networks.
Working as an AHP in our Trust is rewarding because we can make a difference to the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities, helping them to access our services and reduce health inequalities. One of the reasons I wanted to become a Chief AHP at this Trust is because of our Trust values. Since joining the organisation, it has been fantastic to see that the people working here really do live by those values and I am immensely proud to be an AHP at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.”