What are the responsibilities and job description for the Allied Health Professionals position at Health, Heart, Hope at Kent & Medway Mental Health NHS Trust?
- Work with us
- Allied Health Professionals
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) play a vital role in patient care and rehabilitation. Regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), this diverse group is made up of 14 diverse professions including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, art therapists, music therapists, dietitians and drama therapists. In addition, AHP assistants and technical instructors work alongside registered professionals to support patient care.
Each AHP profession has its own distinct expertise and identity. However, all share core competencies such as communication skills, leadership, and evidence-based practice, ensuring the highest standards of care and performance. AHPs represent the third-largest workforce within the NHS, making a significant impact across healthcare services.
AHPs work in a variety of clinical settings across the Trust, providing specialist assessment and interventions to help patients improve their health, wellbeing, and quality of life
Allied Health Professional Leadership Team
The Allied Health Professional (AHP) Leadership Team plays a vital role in representing, championing, and developing the diverse AHP workforce within the Trust. This includes occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, prosthetists, and AHP support staff. The team provides expert guidance on scope of practice, professional standards, and fitness to practice, while also advising on the effective use of AHP knowledge, skills, and expertise across the organisation.
Led by the Trusts Strategic Lead for Allied Health Professions, the leadership team includes a Head and Deputy Head of Allied Health Professions within each clinical directorate, as well as a dedicated Practice Development, Education, and Placements Team (detailed in the attached document).
As an integral part of senior leadership teams across the Trust, the AHP Leadership Team ensures that the perspectives and needs of AHPs are clearly represented. They actively contribute to Trust-wide forums, project groups, and strategic meetings, helping to shape policy and drive improvements in patient care.
Currently, the Leadership Team comprises professionals from occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech and language therapy, with a commitment to growing and supporting all AHP disciplines within the Trust.
Allied Health Professionals Plan 2025 to 2028
Shaped by valuable insights from listening events, meetings with Allied Health Professional (AHP) staff, feedback gathered at events and conferences, and discussions with operational, clinical, and leadership colleagues including both executive and non-executive teams we have developed the Allied Health Professions Plan for 2025 to 2028.
This plan sets out how the AHP workforce will contribute to the Trusts strategic priorities while reaffirming the leadership team's commitment to developing, supporting, and championing our professions and the exceptional staff who deliver them.
The implementation and progress of the plan will be regularly reviewed and shared with staff and key stakeholders through a variety of Trust forums, senior management team meetings, AHP conferences, and celebration events. This ongoing engagement will ensure transparency, encourage collaboration, and highlight achievements as we work towards our shared goals.
Allied Health Professionals Plan 2025 To 2028
Patient Feedback on Allied Health Professionals
Each year, we dedicate a week to gathering invaluable feedback from our patients about their experiences with our Allied Health Professionals (AHPs). This initiative helps us understand how well patients perceive the roles of the AHPs involved in their care and the impact these professionals have on their recovery journey. We also invite suggestions on how we can further enhance the services we provide.
We are pleased to share the outcomes of this patient feedback, which plays a crucial role in shaping and improving the care we deliver. By listening to our patients, we ensure that our AHP teams continue to provide the highest quality support while making the best use of their skills, knowledge, and expertise.
The feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the significant contributions AHPs make within our services. We are grateful for these insights and look forward to building on them as we prepare to gather feedback again later this year.
Sports And Exercise Technicians AHP PREM 2026
OT AHP PREM 2026
Physiotherapy 2026 AHP PREM Results
Speech And Language Therapy AHP PREM 2026
Dietetic AHP PREM 2026
Professional practice
All AHPs are required to be registered with the statutory regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The HCPC is responsible for protecting patients by maintaining a register of members, setting standards of education and training performance and proficiency, and investigating complaints.
The HCPC publishes the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that registrants must keep to and the standards of proficiency for each professional group.
Details about the standards of proficiency can be found on the HCPC website.
Practice development
Practice development and support is vital to the development of our staff, their clinical effectiveness, and patient safety and satisfaction.
There are a variety of methods used to aid practice development including:
- peer support
- clinical forums
- personal study
- research.
Practice education or placements are an integral part of the pre-registration education of AHPs.
In most programmes it constitutes approximately half of the duration of the course, (a minimum of 1,000 hours) and is a requirement for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) who regulate the AHP professions.
Experience gained on practice placements ensures that new graduates develop into safe, competent and reflective practitioners. It ensures they are equipped to work in a range of health care settings and are eligible for registration with the HCPC.
We are committed to practice placement education and support the education of student AHPs within the trust. We expect staff to facilitate student placements within their workplace. KMPT offers placements to AHP students from local universities.
Within the South East region there are two main providers of AHP programmes:
- Canterbury Christ Church University (occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy)
- Brighton (occupational therapy and physiotherapy).
Newly registered staff
Preceptorship provides structured support to newly registered professionals entering at the NHS. It facilitates their development during the first twelve months of their time in post.
We are committed to supporting newly registered staff. Inter-professional action learning sets are provided to support and develop confidence in practice. This takes place through group discussion and structured learning for any newly registered practitioner who is new to the trust and who is undergoing the process of preceptorship.
AHP profession specific packages have been established in line with professional bodies to help practice and consolidate competence and enhance confidence. Preceptorship has been integrated with probation, supervision (professional/clinical), continuing professional development (CPD), and personal training needs.
Return to practice
If you are an AHP who has not practiced for more than two years and wish to return to the profession, you will be expected to meet the requirements of registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Please contact the HCPC for the requirements of return to practice.
As part of this process you may be asked to complete some practice experience. Please forward any enquires to the AHP practice development/placement coordinator.
Further information
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There’s no better time to work in mental health. With over 3,200 staff across Kent and Medway we offer a range of clinical and non clinical jobs across our sites.
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Why you should join us
The CQC rates us as an Outstanding organisation for Caring with an overall rating of Good
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Contact information
Rachael Sanderson
Strategic Lead for Allied Health Professions
For queries related to Allied Health Professions
07880084535 rachael.sanderson@nhs.net
Tracy Neilson
Allied Health Professions Administrator
For queries related to Allied Health Professions
tracy.neilson@nhs.net
Jane Horan
AHP Practice Development and Education Lead
For queries related to students, apprentices or return to work
jane.horan5@nhs.net
Louise Hargreaves
AHP Practice Placement Lead
For queries related to students, apprentices or return to work
louise.hargreaves2@nhs.net
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
CQC overall rating
Good
24 February 2022
See the report
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) play a vital role in patient care and rehabilitation. Regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), this diverse group is made up of 14 diverse professions including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, art therapists, music therapists, dietitians and drama therapists. In addition, AHP assistants and technical instructors work alongside registered professionals to support patient care.
Each AHP profession has its own distinct expertise and identity. However, all share core competencies such as communication skills, leadership, and evidence-based practice, ensuring the highest standards of care and performance. AHPs represent the third-largest workforce within the NHS, making a significant impact across healthcare services.
AHPs work in a variety of clinical settings across the Trust, providing specialist assessment and interventions to help patients improve their health, wellbeing, and quality of life
Allied Health Professional Leadership Team
The Allied Health Professional (AHP) Leadership Team plays a vital role in representing, championing, and developing the diverse AHP workforce within the Trust. This includes occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, prosthetists, and AHP support staff. The team provides expert guidance on scope of practice, professional standards, and fitness to practice, while also advising on the effective use of AHP knowledge, skills, and expertise across the organisation.
Led by the Trusts Strategic Lead for Allied Health Professions, the leadership team includes a Head and Deputy Head of Allied Health Professions within each clinical directorate, as well as a dedicated Practice Development, Education, and Placements Team (detailed in the attached document).
As an integral part of senior leadership teams across the Trust, the AHP Leadership Team ensures that the perspectives and needs of AHPs are clearly represented. They actively contribute to Trust-wide forums, project groups, and strategic meetings, helping to shape policy and drive improvements in patient care.
Currently, the Leadership Team comprises professionals from occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech and language therapy, with a commitment to growing and supporting all AHP disciplines within the Trust.
Allied Health Professionals Plan 2025 to 2028
Shaped by valuable insights from listening events, meetings with Allied Health Professional (AHP) staff, feedback gathered at events and conferences, and discussions with operational, clinical, and leadership colleagues including both executive and non-executive teams we have developed the Allied Health Professions Plan for 2025 to 2028.
This plan sets out how the AHP workforce will contribute to the Trusts strategic priorities while reaffirming the leadership team's commitment to developing, supporting, and championing our professions and the exceptional staff who deliver them.
The implementation and progress of the plan will be regularly reviewed and shared with staff and key stakeholders through a variety of Trust forums, senior management team meetings, AHP conferences, and celebration events. This ongoing engagement will ensure transparency, encourage collaboration, and highlight achievements as we work towards our shared goals.
Allied Health Professionals Plan 2025 To 2028
Patient Feedback on Allied Health Professionals
Each year, we dedicate a week to gathering invaluable feedback from our patients about their experiences with our Allied Health Professionals (AHPs). This initiative helps us understand how well patients perceive the roles of the AHPs involved in their care and the impact these professionals have on their recovery journey. We also invite suggestions on how we can further enhance the services we provide.
We are pleased to share the outcomes of this patient feedback, which plays a crucial role in shaping and improving the care we deliver. By listening to our patients, we ensure that our AHP teams continue to provide the highest quality support while making the best use of their skills, knowledge, and expertise.
The feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the significant contributions AHPs make within our services. We are grateful for these insights and look forward to building on them as we prepare to gather feedback again later this year.
Sports And Exercise Technicians AHP PREM 2026
OT AHP PREM 2026
Physiotherapy 2026 AHP PREM Results
Speech And Language Therapy AHP PREM 2026
Dietetic AHP PREM 2026
Professional practice
All AHPs are required to be registered with the statutory regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The HCPC is responsible for protecting patients by maintaining a register of members, setting standards of education and training performance and proficiency, and investigating complaints.
The HCPC publishes the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that registrants must keep to and the standards of proficiency for each professional group.
Details about the standards of proficiency can be found on the HCPC website.
Practice development
Practice development and support is vital to the development of our staff, their clinical effectiveness, and patient safety and satisfaction.
There are a variety of methods used to aid practice development including:
- peer support
- clinical forums
- personal study
- research.
Practice education or placements are an integral part of the pre-registration education of AHPs.
In most programmes it constitutes approximately half of the duration of the course, (a minimum of 1,000 hours) and is a requirement for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) who regulate the AHP professions.
Experience gained on practice placements ensures that new graduates develop into safe, competent and reflective practitioners. It ensures they are equipped to work in a range of health care settings and are eligible for registration with the HCPC.
We are committed to practice placement education and support the education of student AHPs within the trust. We expect staff to facilitate student placements within their workplace. KMPT offers placements to AHP students from local universities.
Within the South East region there are two main providers of AHP programmes:
- Canterbury Christ Church University (occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy)
- Brighton (occupational therapy and physiotherapy).
Newly registered staff
Preceptorship provides structured support to newly registered professionals entering at the NHS. It facilitates their development during the first twelve months of their time in post.
We are committed to supporting newly registered staff. Inter-professional action learning sets are provided to support and develop confidence in practice. This takes place through group discussion and structured learning for any newly registered practitioner who is new to the trust and who is undergoing the process of preceptorship.
AHP profession specific packages have been established in line with professional bodies to help practice and consolidate competence and enhance confidence. Preceptorship has been integrated with probation, supervision (professional/clinical), continuing professional development (CPD), and personal training needs.
Return to practice
If you are an AHP who has not practiced for more than two years and wish to return to the profession, you will be expected to meet the requirements of registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Please contact the HCPC for the requirements of return to practice.
As part of this process you may be asked to complete some practice experience. Please forward any enquires to the AHP practice development/placement coordinator.