Allied Health Professionals Career Pathway

Everyone, irrespective of position, profession or characteristics is in the driving seat of their career and has access to a great conversation about their potential and career, not just performance. To find out more about career conversations click on the image above.

For entry requirements and pillars of practice information for each role click on one of the links below.                                       

    Support Worker                     Senior Support Worker        Assistant Practitioner

          Practitioner                         Enhanced Practice             Advanced Practice

         Consultant

Support workers use general skills and work under the close supervision of registered staff. 

This is the entry level for many clinical support workers. (Taken from HEE AHP support worker competency, education and career development framework AHP Framework (hee.nhs.uk))

Senior support workers use more advanced skills under the supervision of registered staff and may also work alone, with access to a registered member of staff. 

At this stage, senior support workers can contribute to service improvement and be able to make fact-based judgements. (Taken from HEE AHP support worker competency, education and career development framework AHP Framework (hee.nhs.uk))

Assistant practitioners work at a level above that of healthcare support workers and have more in-depth education and understanding about factors that influence health and ill-health.

Support workers at this level will possess enhanced skills in their area of work. They can demonstrate own activities to new or less experienced employees and provide training to others. (Taken from HEE AHP support worker competency, education and career development framework AHP Framework (hee.nhs.uk))

An Allied Health Professional practitioner has undertaken a degree level qualification to become registered in their profession. They provide system-wide care to assess, treat, diagnose, and discharge patients across social care, housing, education, and independent and voluntary sectors. 

At this level they are in the novice/competent stage and have not taken much post registration education. (NHS England » About AHPs)

Registered AHP staff working at an enhanced level are those who have moved beyond novice/competent and who are not working at the level of advanced practice. Enhanced practice professionals have many job titles and roles across many different professions. 

The tend to have undertaken post registration education or have undertaken relevant professional development to their area of practice and role. (Enhanced practice | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk))

Advanced clinical practice is delivered by experienced, registered AHPs. It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making.

This is underpinned by a master’s level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research, with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competency. Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England - Advanced Practice (hee.nhs.uk)

Consultant level practice is delivered by AHPs with expertise in four domains necessary for enabling quality care from micro, to meso and macro levels of the system. 

They will have the key skill set for systems leadership and systems transformation aided by clinical credibility in own professional field. (Consultant - Advanced Practice (hee.nhs.uk))