There are approximately 170,000 allied health professionals (AHPs) working within the NHS, accumulating over four million patient contacts per week¹.  The prime position of AHPs within healthcare, working across organisational boundaries, makes them integral to most clinical pathways. There has been a realisation that there is an abundance of underutilised talent within this group. Which needs to be utilised if the NHS is to meet its long term plan².  The Chief Allied Health Professions Officer in England and the wider team have had a significant impact in raising the profile of AHPs over recent years. Giving them a sense of collective identity and position within the workforce. Inspiring AHPs to re-think how they deliver their services, whilst shining a light on the importance and scale of the work they do.  With the launch of the first strategy in 2017, which identified the transformative potential of AHPs³.  A plethora of AHP centric guidance and strategies followed, focusing on public health^1,4, research^5,6, and leadership^7–9 culminating with the recently published AHP strategy for 2022-2027, which states it is crucial that AHPs build the diversity of their leadership and step into these roles¹⁰.

Leadership

Great leaders are pivotal to delivering high-quality care^2,11. Hospital performance and the quality of care service users receive are all influenced by the quality of its leadership¹². Recently we have seen the emergence of advanced clinical roles for AHPs, including, advanced clinical practitioners, first contact practitioners and consultant posts. From a strategic viewpoint, we have seen the introduction of the Chief AHP role which has further engaged the AHP workforce, highlighting its value and contribution⁷. However, successful outcomes will not be solely reliant on these senior roles, it will depend on effective leadership across all levels and across the entire AHP workforce⁷. Leadership is not the dominion of the most senior staff, there is an increasing recognition that all employees need to show some level of leadership¹³.

This is where AHPs can learn from the nursing profession, which has benefited from a more vigorous approach to striving toward leadership progression.  Historically nurses have been encouraged and incentivised to develop their leadership skills, and move into non-traditional leadership positions, unlike AHPs¹⁴. Consequently, the nursing profession continued to expand its leadership, resulting in recruitment to NHS board level positions.  It is now a requirement for Foundation Trusts to have a director of nursing role¹⁴. This is a fantastic achievement by our nursing colleagues considering it wasn’t too long ago that nursing leadership in the UK was described as a ‘crisis’¹⁵.

Similar to what nurses experienced when they began transitioning into senior leadership roles, it has been suggested that AHPs may experience reluctance to let go of their prior identity and credibility as clinical practitioners, which may be a barrier to their leadership progression¹⁴. This is where leadership training is essential, to develop our AHP workforce and equip them with the confidence and skills required. Owing to the fact that we need more of our AHPs to step forward as leaders, helping us create professionally diverse leadership teams, which are best equipped to meet the challenges and ambitions of the NHS⁷.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) has a suite of leadership training available for staff.  This article is going to focus on the innovative and popular ‘Action Centred Leadership’ programme.

Action Centred Leadership training.

RWT has been running the Action Centred Leadership (ACL) programme since 2014 and it is open to all staff, regardless of position or grade, reiterating the value that leadership is for everyone.

ACL is a leadership model developed by Professor John Adair; it has been used continuously since its development in 1962. The model is practical, easy to remember, apply, and adapt to your own situation. The model focuses on three circles (1) The Task (2) The Team (3) The individual, and how these interact and affect one another.

The Team Leader level forms the basis of ACL training programmes and deals with the fundamental leadership functions which any leader, regardless of position, needs to apply.

The training program is a mix of participative and practical learning, using a variety of methods, small group discussion, plenary discussion, exercises, and case studies. The programme is delivered by both nursing and AHP staff.

At the end of the 2-day programme the participants will:

• Explore leadership theory and ACL
• Be able to describe the three-circles model and its application in the work environment
• Describe the functions of leadership and the role of the leader
• Examine other satellite theories of leadership and ACL
• Review their role as a leader and their leadership behaviours
• Develop an action plan to take back to their work situation

To quote Professor Adair “I must hold the record for expounding the three circles, but I still love doing it. Why? Because of the simplicity, power, truth and beauty of the model, and its eternal relevance in every situation and at every level”

The success of the programme

Over 700 staff have completed the 2-day program at RWT since its inception. 98% of whom rated the training as excellent!

If you would like to book on to the ACL course or find out more, please contact Vicki Gardner at vicki.gardner1@nhs.net

References

1. Dougall D, Buck D. My Role in Tackling Health Inequalities A Framework for Allied Health Professionals.; 2021. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/tackling-health-inequalities-framework-allied-health-professionals
2. The NHS Long Term Plan. Published Online First.; 2019. https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/
3. NHS England. Allied Health Professions into Action.; 2017. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ahp-action-transform-hlth.pdf
4. Hindle L, Charlesworth L. UK Allied Health Professions Public Health Strategic Framework 2019-2024. Public Heal Engl Allied Heal Prof Fed. Published online 2019. http://www.ahpf.org.uk/files/UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework 2019-2024.pdf
5. NIHR CRN Allied Health Professionals Strategy 2018-2020 | NIHR. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-crn-allied-health-professionals-strategy-2018-2020/11530
6. Health Education England. Allied Health Professions ’ Research and Innovation Strategy for England.; 2022. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/allied-health-professions/enable-workforce/allied-health-professions’-research-innovation-strategy-england
7. NHS England and NHS Improvement. Investing in chief allied health professionals: insights from trust executives. 2019;(July). https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/investing-chief-allied-health-professionals/
8. NHS Improvement. Leadership of allied health professions in trusts: what exists and what matters. 2018;(June):1-16. https://improvement.nhs.uk/documents/2904/Leadership_of_AHPs_in_trusts.pdf
9. NHS England and NHS Improvement. Developing Allied Health Professional Leaders: A Guide for Trust Boards and Clinicians.; 2019.
10. Chief Allied Health Professions Office. The Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Strategy for England The AHP Strategy for England?: AHPs Deliver 2022 – 2027. Published online 2022.
11. Department of Health. Delivering High Quality, Effective, Compassionate Care: Developing the Right People with the Right Skills and the Right Values. A Mandate from the Government to Health Education England.; 2016. Accessed April 18, 2022. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
12. Kline R. Leadership in the NHS. BMJ Lead. 2019;3(4):129-132. doi:10.1136/leader-2019-000159
13. NHS England and Health Education England. Leadership Development Integrated Urgent Care / NHS 111 Workforce Blueprint England.; 2018. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/559940/HEE_
14. Gibbs V, Griffiths M. AHP leadership in academia: opportunities, challenges and current positioning. Stud High Educ. 2021;46(11):2216-2229. doi:10.1080/03075079.2020.1716320
15. Collinson G. The primacy of purpose and the leadership of nursing. NT Res. 2002;7(6):403-411. doi:10.1177/136140960200700603