Allied Health Professionals

What is an Allied Health Professional (AHP)? 

Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are the third largest workforce in the NHS. AHPs are made up of 14 roles; Art Therapists, Drama therapists, Music therapists, Chiropodists/podiatrists, Dietitians, Occupational therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Osteopaths, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Prosthetists and Orthotists, Radiographers, Speech and language therapists.  

What is an Allied Health Professional? (HEE Guide)

Within Primary Care – the following 5 roles are currently funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) which is government funding aimed at creating multi-disciplinary teams within General Practice settings.

  • Dietitians
  • MSK Physiotherapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Paramedics
  • Podiatrists

All of these roles can be used in slightly different ways, depending on the needs of the Primary Care Network (PCN).  There is a strong emphasis on staff working in these roles doing the First Contact Practitioner (FCP) Training – early on in their primary care careers,  See the CQC statement regarding this here

Ideally AHP staff should complete stage 1 of the FCP training before beginning work in a primary care setting, however it is possible for this to be completed retrospectively.  Stage 2 should ideally be completed within 6 months of starting a primary care role.  For more information on First Contact Practice please visit our FCP page or click here.

Click Here for AHP Faculties information hosted on the HEE website.