An eye-catching mural created to celebrate and publicise the 14 autonomous NHS professions that together form North East London’s Allied Health Professionals (AHP) workforce, has been unveiled in Waltham Forest.

“This beautiful image is taken directly from a Gardening for Health group project for local Bengali women in Tower Hamlets” explained Dr Sharen Hayre, a clinical psychologist in Tower Hamlets who led and developed the gardening project with AHP colleagues. Sharen described the project as: “a group for women who experience chronic pain within the wider contexts of reduced mobility, long term physical health conditions and related emotional distress.

“The gardening project provides an integrated therapies model to re-engage women with their abilities and strengths by incorporating Psychology, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. It is co-facilitated with Care Navigation and Rehab and Peer Support Workers.

“By allowing women to connect with nature and be amongst other women who have similar experiences, the project supports improvements in both physical and emotional/mental health wellbeing.”

The mural adorns a stately Victorian era end of terrace house in Leyton’s Vicarage Road. The centrepiece signet ring’s mysteriously glinting logo is sure to get onlookers wondering as to what it signifies.

In fact, the ring portrays the national AHP workforce logo in NHS blue surrounded by fourteen pink circles, each one representing an AHP profession.

The North East London Health and Care Partnership’s (NELHCP) Black and Asian Minority Ethnic AHP network hope that  not only will it get people talking, but will encourage more people from minority ethnic communities to consider a career as an AHP.

ELFT Professional Lead for AHPs, and Chair for AHPs for NELHCP Stephen Sandford said:

“We are especially keen to ensure that all fourteen AHP professions are representative of our local communities. Care City and over 40 BAME AHP Career Ambassadors are working directly with local schools and colleges to inspire young people across North East London into finding out about AHP careers.  The ambassadors provide a range of support including mentoring for young people and through talks share all the possibilities for potential careers ahead.”

“AHPs work to really make a difference to peoples’ lives locally, and this beautiful piece of art tells some of that story.”

For more information on the full range of career opportunities available as an NHS Allied Health Professional across north east London visit: https://careers.eastlondonhcp.org.uk/career/allied-health-professionals/