Our central goal is to work towards provision of positive experiences for patients within the healthcare system.

Allied health professions research at the University of Hertfordshire has at the core of its activities a philosophy of engagement in collaborative research to provide an evidence base to underpin developments in health and well-being.

Integral to our four key research themes, the impacts are of direct and applied relevance to the allied health professions with practitioners working in a variety of environments within community and hospital settings.

Our strategy is that all our work must:

• Contribute to the evidence base in the allied health professions
• Enhance the education and development of allied health professionals
• Inform future progression within health/social care/well-being services and healthcare provision

The aim is to ensure that research in the allied health professions makes a positive impact on patients’ experiences and/or patients’ outcomes, as well as on service delivery within healthcare.

Involvement of the public is a core activity within our research and several studies have patient representatives on the steering group with evidence of the public being involved at key stages of the research process from inception to dissemination.

Allied health professions research is grouped in the following four overarching themes:

• Maintaining well-being in health and disease
• Application of skills in practice
• Focus on education and developing practice
• Professional roles and development