The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists

BAPO Admin

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Membership Badges

Diversity empowers us to enable a profession where everyone can thrive, this is beneficial for staff and service users in terms of creativity, innovation, and differing perspectives to improve working environments and provide better outcomes for everyone. 

BAPO has created some digital member badges to showcase and celebrate the diversity of our profession.  These are available in the member badges section once you have logged in, you can find the tab at the top of the page. If you are interested in becoming a member please contact enquiries@bapowp.axia.support

The members badges represent all our members including support workers, technicians, prosthetists, orthotists,  students and apprentices.

This badge represents our members from the LGBTQ+ community, it incorporates the most recent progress pride flag, and the added elements emphasise inclusion within the LGBTQ+ community and the ongoing struggle for equality. The flag highlights marginalised groups within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the transgender community, and those from ethnically minoritised groups, and reiterates the importance of progress in the fight for equal rig hts for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

This badge celebrates the neurodiversity of our members and service users, the infinity symbol represents the infinite spectrum of neurological differences and symbolises unity and connection within the neurodiverse community, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and acceptance. It also draws attention to the infinite potential of each person and advocates the need to approach people, attitudes, and tasks with more open-mindedness and creativity. 

This badge represents our ethnically diverse membership base, including our international staff and students. Ethnic diversity includes different ethnic groups encompassing a wide range of cultural, linguistic, racial, and national backgrounds. BAPO recognises the benefits of multiculturalism in our profession and how this contributes to the richness of our society more broadly. 

This badge represents the Disabled members of our profession including Disabled staff and learners. We understand the importance of inclusive environments and encourage our employment and education sectors to embed the social model of disability, where it is everyone’s responsibility to remove barriers and champion equity for Disabled people. This badge includes the colours from the overcoming flag, designed for the UN by Eros Recio, a professional ballet dancer who has Down syndrome. The colours reference those of the paralympic medals symbolising the overcoming of challenges, the three colours also represent physical, mental, and sensory disabilities including neurodiverse conditions. 

This members badge represents all our members including support workers, technicians, prosthetists, orthotists,  students and apprentices

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BAPO Response to riots

BAPO would like to extend support and solidarity to anyone affected by the current violence that we are seeing reported. BAPO strongly condemns the violent and racist riots and intimidation that have taken place across the country. We value diversity, it is the cornerstone of our profession and of course, the wider NHS and companies that support the profession. During challenging times like these, we need to demonstrate our values of community, inclusion and allyship more than ever. We encourage members to stand together to support any staff, service users or members of the public affected. We understand that current events may create feelings of fear, distress and anxiety, the following collated signposting and support links might be helpful.

Wellbeing support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic NHS staff (hee.nhs.uk) provides links for support services offered to NHS colleagues from culture and ethnically diverse backgrounds

 Black Minds Matter’s connects Black individuals and families with free mental health services by professional Black therapists to support their mental health.

The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network BAATN is the UK’s largest independent organisation to specialise in working psychologically, informed by an understanding of intersectionality, with people who identify as Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean.

Taraki work with Punjabi communities to improve access to mental health awareness, education, social supports, and research through culturally safe activities to benefit individual and community-level care.

The National Union of Students (​NUS) Black students’ network represents students of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean heritage. The network supports issues affecting Black students on a local, national and international level.

Nafsiyat is a pioneering charity offering intercultural therapy in over 20 languages to people from diverse cultural communities. Nafsiyat offers short-term intercultural therapy to people from diverse backgrounds who live in Islington, Enfield, Camden and Haringey.

Nilaari is a Black, Asian and Ethnically diverse led community-based charity. Their diverse staff team deliver culturally appropriate and responsive social care support and talking therapies. All services are designed to support client’s emotional wellbeing and mental health. Nilaari provides community-based mental health care for people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

BMHS Wales is a not-for-profit organisation focused on education and advocacy to inspire mentally healthy ethnically diverse communities by providing support appropriate to their mental health and wellbeing.

Saheliya (Edinburgh and Glasgow) Saheliya is a specialist mental health and well-being support organisation for black,  minority ethnic, asylum seeker, refugee and migrant women and girls (12+) in the Edinburgh and Glasgow area. Their staff are from a variety of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds and they all have an understanding of how race, gender and culture affects the mental well-being of black and minority ethnic women and girls.

If you have any feedback or need any support from BAPO to further support colleagues and communities affected by this, please email : enquiries@bapowp.axia.support

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Steps into P&O

Keele Prosthetics & Orthotics (P&O) Summer School

Are you a bioengineering, psychology, sports science, biomedical, or biology student? Then this event is for you! Discover your future in Prosthetics and Orthotics with opportunities in healthcare, research, medical device design, and much more!

Click on the image or scan the QR Code for more information

 

Do you currently work in healthcare? Then this event is for you! Discover your future in Prosthetics and Orthotics with opportunities in healthcare, research, medical device design, and much more!

Click on the image or scan the QR Code for more information

Do you currently work in healthcare? Then this event is for you! Discover your future in Prosthetics & Orthotics with opportunities in healthcare, research, medical device design, & much more!

Click on the image or scan the QR Code for more information

It is vitally important that we all support the pipeline into our profession, we are providing our service users with an opportunity to consider prosthetics and orthotics as a career choice.  We are asking for your support by adding a downloadable poster to your waiting rooms.

Service Users Poster

Are you a current student or a new graduate? Then this event is for you! Discover your future in Prosthetics and Orthotics with opportunities in healthcare, research, medical device design, and much more!

Click on the image or scan the QR Code for more information

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BAPO Footwear Training – Improving Provision of therapeutic footwear

The course aims to improve the skills of the Orthotist when providing
therapeutic footwear to their patients.​

Day 1 is presented virtually and covers footwear assessment procedures, what to consider, analysis of the situation and how to use this information to choose the most appropriate type of footwear. The different types of footwear will be discussed, stock, modular, and bespoke footwear (its uses, allowances, benefits and limitations). The mechanics of feet and how they affect footwear and how footwear affects feet is included, with lots of detail about designing bespoke footwear and how each part of it should be specified and designed by the orthotist to achieve the best outcome for the patient.​​

Day 2 and 3 are face to face and includes practical sessions aiming to improve assessment, measuring skills, casting, fitting, supplying and reviewing skills.​

Potential problems at fitting and review and how to resolve them will be discussed and suggestions on how to improve practice will be suggested. ​

Attendees should be prepared to share a short case study on day 1. This can be either a success or a problem that they experience in their footwear provision. A brief description is all that is needed but photos would help.​​

Attendees should bring an example of a footwear draft to day 2.​