New online platform for Allied Health Professions to support career development as educators

Canterbury Christ Church University has co-developed the interactive resource, aimed at 14 Allied Health Professions (AHPs) including occupational therapists, radiographers, operating departments practitioners and paramedics – who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of education principles and how they influence all aspects of their work including supervising learners in the workplace.

According to the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan 25 per cent more training places for AHPs will be needed by 2030/31 bringing the total to 18,800. This in turn will require more AHP workplace educators to supervise trainees. 

A 2023 report by the Council of Deans of Health stated: “The demand for and expectations of the AHP workforce has never been higher. Securing the future and current professional workforce, is dependent upon a sustainable and high-quality education workforce both in practice and in academic settings.” 

NHS England South East commissioned the Universities of Winchester, Southampton and Canterbury Christ Church to facilitate the implementation of the existing AHP educator career framework. The new platform launched at an online event on October 8 with over 150 attendees

Project lead at Canterbury Christ Church University Professor John Hammond, said: “It was a great opportunity to work collaboratively on this project. Previously, people talked about a scattergun approach to their educator career development. We hope that this interactive framework helps AHPs to navigate a clearer pathway, and after the event there seems a lot of enthusiasm for that.”

The interactive learning resource was created using input from a stakeholders’ meeting held at Winchester in March which was attended by 88 AHPs from a range of professions and career levels.   

Participants asked for resources for all career levels including support workers and learners, educators, strategic leaders and senior managers and the new resource has ‘personas’ developed for learners at different career stages alongside vignettes from a range of professionals so that AHPs can access relevant information.     

Alongside the platform hosted on the Learning Hub the team have been developing the Future NHS Practice Education Training Workspace which contains training and shared resources to support practice education.   

The project was led by Tai Frater Senior Lecturer in Practice Education at Winchester’s faculty of health and Wellbeing and, Jo Kileff from the University of Southampton, Professor of Interprofessional Practice John Hammond, Anne Martin, Rupert Kerrel and Nicola Hilburn in the School of Allied and Public Health Professions at Canterbury Christ Church University.