We have already invested significantly in innovative community services. Our regional integration fund provides more than £144 million to support six national models of integrated care. These models include community-based prevention and community co-ordination, complex care closer to home and home-from-hospital services.

I am taking the opportunity today to reiterate my expectation that the investment we have already provided to the NHS, local authorities and regional partnership boards will also be used to bring together all local services involved in health and care, including AHPs.

Primary and community care must become the usual location for practice for AHPs. This workforce should be organised through well-integrated community services, including the full range of AHP skills. In order to deliver the accelerated cluster development programme, it's vital that a higher proportion of the AHP workforce works in integrated teams and hubs in primary and community services.

We know that many people who are older or who are living with frailty or comorbidities leave hospital less mobile and less independent than when they were admitted. This is why the recently published optimal hospital-flow guidance states that health and care services should embed 'home first' and discharge-to-recover-then-assess principles. This will enable people to return home as rapidly as possible, with access to the right community assessment and reablement.

The community resource teams that are already established in each of our health board regions, along with the reablement teams and wider community rehabilitation services, are the bedrock of the community infrastructure required to improve care for our population. If we can get it right for those with complex needs, we can get it right for everyone.

The purpose of this investment is to increase the AHP capacity in community-based rehabilitation and early intervention services. This will mean that clinically safe alternatives are available to admission. It will also support safe and effective discharge.

The timing of this announcement will support health and social care employers to maximise employment for the new graduates who will be entering the workforce in the summer. Expanding the capacity of community services with these additional allied health professional roles will enable us to provide well-integrated primary and community care, and help us tackle some of the current pressures facing our health and care system.