Our initial 18-month phase focuses on laying the groundwork for our long-term plan. During this period, we are undertaking four primary research projects that will shape and guide the direction of our subsequent work. In our first year, we are carrying out 4 principal research projects:
Work Package 1
JLA Priority Setting
This work package uses the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) methodology to identify the most important unanswered questions and concerns about the Allied Health Professions workforce. A traditional JLA PSP focuses on the research priorities for a particular health condition, and brings together patients, carers, and clinicians together to find out what are the most important questions in this area for research to focus on. For this PSP, we’re focusing on the AHP workforce, and are therefore bringing different representatives of the AHP workforce together with representation from patients and the public to ascertain the topics that research needs to prioritise in order to improve the working lives of AHPs, and ultimately, the services they provide for patients.
Lead researcher: Prof Julie Nightingale (Sheffield Hallam University)
Work Package 2
Retention of AHPs
Across the UK, over 252,000 Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are registered in 14 different professions, with most working in the NHS. However, demand for AHP services has grown faster than investment in the workforce. Many professions now face serious staff shortages, and retention—keeping skilled staff in their roles—is a major challenge.
More AHPs are leaving their jobs, especially in professions like podiatry, occupational therapy, arts therapies and diagnostic radiography. Early career staff are particularly vulnerable, with around one in twenty leaving the register within four years. Many who leave cite stress, burnout, poor pay, bullying, and discrimination as reasons for moving on. Existing research has not fully explored these issues across all AHP professions in the UK.
This study aims to understand why AHPs leave or stay, and to identify effective strategies for improving retention. It will combine data analysis, surveys, and focus groups in four stages. First, it will review existing evidence on what helps retain healthcare staff. Next, it will examine national workforce data to find which professions and workplaces face the most significant challenges. A targeted survey will then explore the experiences and views of AHPs working in those settings. Finally, workforce leaders will discuss the findings and suggest practical actions to test in future phases.
The ultimate goal is to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations to support AHPs, strengthen the workforce, and improve care for patients across the NHS.
Lead researcher: Dr Michaela Senek (University of Sheffield)
Work Package 3
Understanding the Impact of Apprenticeships in Health Care
Allied Health Professional (AHP) workforce shortages are most acute in rural, coastal and deprived areas, where longstanding recruitment and retention challenges can limit access to care and affect patient outcomes. In response, the NHS has expanded AHP apprenticeships as a way of growing the workforce, enabling people to earn while they learn and gain a recognised professional qualification within their local health systems. This work package explores how well AHP apprenticeship routes are working across England, why uptake and experiences vary between regions, and what challenges exist in areas with persistent workforce gaps.
The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining national data analysis with interviews and group discussions involving universities, NHS managers, system leaders, patients, carers and service users, with a particular focus on rural and coastal communities. Findings will be shared with NHS England and key workforce and education stakeholders to inform policy and planning decisions. By identifying what works, for whom, and in which contexts, this work package aims to strengthen apprenticeship models, widen access to AHP careers, and support a more sustainable, locally rooted workforce, ultimately improving access to care and reducing waiting times for patients.
Lead researcher: Prof Kate Grafton (University of Lincoln)
Work Package 4
Workforce Modelling
The objective is to provide an open source model not requiring specialist software that marries local information on workforce (supply), population case-mix (demand) and provides a means for assessing the impact of workforce interventions to aid decision making at a local level in terms of outcomes and distribution of outcomes (equity considerations). The output will combine current best practice in dynamic modelling, local aggregate data and intervention effects from both the literature and from project intervention in a working Shiny R App designed to act as a framework and be built on post-project.
Lead researcher: Dr Chris Bojke (University of Leeds)
AHP WRaP FlexFund
Seed-funded projects
The AHP WRaP FlexFund provide early career researchers with the opportunity to lead on small projects that complement our existing programme of work. The projects funded to date are:
- Exploring Apprentice AHP’s Experiences (Dr Tim Hayes, Anglia Ruskin University)
- Exploring International Recruitment (Dr Nicola Gillin, Anglia Ruskin University)
- Embedding Retention Informing System (Dr Gupteswar Patel, University of Lincoln)
- Apprenticeship Models in Context (Dr Soph Willis, University of Lincoln)
- Effective Deployment of the AHP Support Workforce (Dr Sarah Etty, Sheffield Hallam University)
