ACPOHE Study Day 2026 | Back to Work, Forward with Confidence | Manchester | Friday 13 November, 2026

Welcome to this year’s ACPOHE study day

ACPOHE is delighted to announce that our 2026 Study Day will take place at the Salford Innovation Forum in Salford, Manchester on Friday 13 November, 2026, bringing together occupational health physiotherapists, MSK specialists, employers, and system partners for a full day dedicated to one of the most pressing challenges in UK health and work: helping people get back to work safely, sustainably and sooner.

Our theme for this year  ‘Back to Work, Forward with Confidence’ focuses on the practical, evidence‑based interventions that occupational health physiotherapists deliver every day to prevent avoidable work loss, reduce sickness absence, and support people with MSK conditions to stay in or return to meaningful employment.

The programme will showcase leading clinical practice, emerging research, and real‑world service models from across the NHS, independent sector and workplace settings. Delegates can expect sessions on functional rehabilitation, vocational assessment, WorkWell and MSK hub integration, digital innovation, and the evolving policy landscape shaping health‑and‑work services.

As always, the Study Day will offer valuable opportunities to connect with peers, share learning, and strengthen our collective voice as a profession committed to improving work outcomes for individuals and employers.

Book your ticket here: ACPOHE Study Day 2026 – Back to Work, Forward with Confidence. Tickets, Friday 13 November  •  9 AM – 4:30 PM | Eventbrite

Time: 08:30-16:30

Location & Travel: Salford Innovation Forum, 51 Frederick Rd, Salford, M6 6FP

Tickets available here: ACPOHE Study Day 2026 – Back to Work, Forward with Confidence. Tickets, Friday 13 November  •  9 AM – 4:30 PM | Eventbrite

Cost: Early bird: £60 until 15th October. Full price £75.

The conference is only available to ACPOHE members but you can become a member HERE for just £50 per annum.

Itinerary:

08.30: Registration and Coffee

09.00: Welcome from ACPOHE Chair – Alex Butler, ACPOHE Chair opens the day

09.30: Keeping Britain Working in 2030: From Treatment to Work Participation – Jonathan Kemp, DWP

Details below

10.45: Work as a Health Outcome: Connecting MSK Care and WorkWell in Manchester -Diane Reid and the Manchester Workwell team

Details below

12.15: Discussion panel

12.45: Lunch & posters

13.45: ACPOHE Update

14.30:Workshop  (chose when purchasing your ticket)

15.30: Workshop  (chose when purchasing your ticket)

Workshop choices: 

Workshop 1 - A New Capability Framework for Physiotherapists Working in Occupational Health: A Sneak Peek – Paul Shawcross & Dr Cameron Black

Workshop 2 – Occupational Health Essentials Taster – Angela Webster

Workshop 3 – Ergonomic Chair Workshop – Lasse Flosand & Heather O’Neill

16.15: Closing Comments

09: 30: Keeping Britain Working in 2030: From Treatment to Work Participation – Jonathan Kemp, DWP

Description: As the UK grapples with rising economic inactivity and growing demand for workplace health support, what role should physiotherapy play in the future of work?

This session will explore how the conversation is shifting from treating illness to helping people remain, return, and thrive in work. Drawing on Keep Britain Working’s emerging model for better provision in workplaces, we will consider where physiotherapists fit within a broader work and health system, how they can contribute to prevention and early intervention, and what opportunities lie ahead for closer collaboration with employers, occupational health, and workplace health services. The Workplace Health Provision model is designed to help employers and employees act earlier, support people to remain in or return to work, and connect treatment with practical workplace support.

10.45: Work as a Health Outcome: Connecting MSK Care and WorkWell in Manchester -Diane Reid and the Manchester Workwell team

11.30 : Pain-at-Work Toolkits: Empowering Employees, Equipping Managers – Angela Thornton & Professor Holly Blake

Description: This session will introduce the Pain-at-Work Toolkit for employees and the five-year programme of collaboration and engagement that informed its development. Findings from a feasibility trial will demonstrate how this online toolkit can strengthen personal resources, including self-efficacy, knowledge and coping strategies, and support employees to better self-manage work-related demands associated with chronic pain. The session will also discuss qualitative research with organisational stakeholders, highlighting gaps in current workplace policies and support, and how the employee toolkit was reviewed and adapted, resulting in a complementary Pain-at-Work Toolkit for managers. Finally, we will provide an update on a definitive UK trial in which both the Pain-at-Work Toolkit for employees and the Pain-at-Work Toolkit for managers are being evaluated.

Dr Angela Thornton has a BSc in Psychology, a MSc in Psychological Research Methods and a PhD in digital innovation. She is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS) and has over 35 years industry experience specialising in healthcare. She is currently a Research Fellow in Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham where she is contributing to the Pain-at-Work Trial.

Professor Holly Blake is a health psychologist and Professor of Behavioural Medicine at the University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences, and Honorary Professor at Queen’s University Belfast. She has expertise in evaluating complex interventions, particularly using participatory designs, mixed-methods, and randomised controlled trial designs. Her research primarily focuses on (a) work and health; (b) promoting health and wellbeing to prevent chronic disease (e.g. healthy lifestyle and/or psychological intervention); (b) assisting people in the self-management of long-term conditions through health promotion and self-care, psychological approaches, behavioural intervention, and education. She is also interested in how we can use technology, such as online learning tools, website, email and mobile phone messaging, and wearables, to improve services and patient experience, promote health and wellbeing, and help people to manage chronic conditions. She is an experienced principal investigator, with funding from NIHR, ESRC, Midlands Engine, Productivity Institute, Nuffield Foundation/Arthritis UK, industry partners, NHS Trusts, and various charities. She is Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE, has received two Lord Dearing Awards, and is winner of the national Hidden REF2024 in the category of “Communicative Outputs” for digital innovation with global reach.

Workshop Choices

Workshop 1: A New Capability Framework for Physiotherapists Working in Occupational Health: A Sneak Peek – Paul Shawcross & Dr Cameron Black

This interactive workshop will provide attendees with an exclusive preview of a new capability framework for physiotherapists working with the working-age population. Developed over the past year and informed by findings from two research studies, the framework outlines the knowledge, skills, and capabilities required to support individuals in work and work-related health settings.

Designed to support physiotherapists at all stages of their careers, from new graduates to those aspiring to specialise in occupational health, the framework aims to guide professional development and workforce capability across the profession.

As part of the framework’s co-creation process, attendees of this workshop will have the opportunity to review its content, share their perspectives, and contribute to the final stages of development before its launch in 2027.

Paul Shawcross: Paul is a musculoskeletal physiotherapist specialising in occupational health and ergonomics. Paul has been on the ACPOHE committee since 2020 and during that time, has transitioned from more clinical leadership roles to working more in the education and research pillars.​

Paul spends most of his working week with Coventry University as the course director for the MSc Physiotherapy & Leadership (pre-registration) course. Paul also does some clinical and consultancy work in the fields of musculoskeletal, occupational health and ergonomics.​

On the ACPOHE committee, Paul has historically led the development of the webinar series and now leads the ‘research stream’. This involves sharing of best practices, participating in research and supporting members with research. Paul also delivers the ‘Intro to Ergonomics’ and ‘Assessing Fitness for Work’ courses.​

At home, you will find Paul trying to fit in the occasional game of padel and some time with his amazing wife, in between running around after his two daughters!

Dr Cameron Black is a clinical academic specialising in occupational health (OH) and digital transformation within the UK’s NHS. His work bridges research and practice to improve care quality, accessibility, and workforce health. Passionate about addressing gaps in OH provision through the NHS Clinical entrepreneur programme, Cameron is developing digital solutions for those without access to specialist services. His research on competencies for return-to-work advice in primary care has been widely published.

Workshop 2: Occupational Health Essentials Taster – Angela Webster

This workshop will introduce you to the revised OH Essentials course, zone in on the Work Ability module and help you apply knowledge and share ideas with ACPOHE members as you work through a case study.

Angela Webster is a Musculoskeletal and Occupational Health Physiotherapist.

Angela has held leadership roles in Musculoskeletal Health and Occupational Health in the NHS, industry and private sector working closing within and across multidisciplinary teams.  Rehab and relationships run at the heart of Angela’s leadership, wellbeing and occupational health strategies. As Education lead, Angela is striving to involve and enable ACPOHE members.

Angela has been involved in quantitative and qualitative research  including workplace health and wellbeing, risk factors for sickness absence, participatory ergonomics and work based condition management approaches to enhance function, productivity and quality of life.

Angela enjoys being on the move and especially if this involves dogs!

Workshop 3: Ergonomic Chair Workshop – Lasse Flosand & Heather O’Neill

• Explore different types of ergonomic chairs from our Sponsors ErgoChair.
• Identify suitable chairs for clients through clinical and anthropometric reasoning
• Practise setting up chairs to aid optimal posture
• Practice with ErgoChair tools

Lasse Flosand has worked in Occupational Health since 2006, gaining experience across a wide range of organisations and industries — and discovering along the way that no two workplaces, or chairs, are ever quite the same. He holds a BSc in Physiotherapy and an MSc in Ergonomics and Organisational Behaviour, underpinning his commitment to practical, evidence‑based solutions that genuinely work in real‑world settings.

As an ACPOHE committee member, Lasse helps develop the association’s podcast and champions Occupational Health Physiotherapy, promoting the value of the profession across the wider OH community. He is passionate about ensuring ACPOHE is an organisation that empowers its members to excel. For him, the purpose of OH Physiotherapy is simple: keeping people healthy at work and supporting those who are off work to return safely.

Outside ACPOHE, Lasse co‑runs a family‑owned OH Physiotherapy company. He enjoys music — playing guitar and singing enthusiastically, if not always tunefully — as well as cooking and staying active.

This year we are kindly sponsored by Ergochair who are providing this years prize for our annual draw.