Meet the AHP practice education network
The AHP practice education leads (AHP PELs) are employed in each health board in Scotland to support AHPs to provide high quality practice education experiences to all learners. They work with a wide range of AHP's, from health care support workers to senior AHP leads, across health and social care, and will help them to develop and access a wide range of work based learning opportunities. They also link closely with the higher education institutes (HEIs) to support practice educator training and to maintain high quality practice based learning (PrBL) experiences for AHP students.
Have a read about the opportunity staff from NHS Dumfries and Galloway had to support the delivery of the national AHP Practice Education Programme.
Find your local PEL here.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital
NHS Ayrshire and Arran
Linda Allan, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: linda.allan6@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
Hours of Work: Wed-Fri
National Working Group Membership: Careers/Recruitment
Workstream Focus: Careers- attraction and recruitement, PrBl- quality and skills, Workforce- development needs
Special interest: Facilitating Adult Learning and Careers Promotion/Pathways
NHS Borders
NHS Dumfries and Galloway
Laura Lennox, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: dg.ahpeducation@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri
National Working Group Membership: AHP Support and Supervision, AHP Preceptorship, AHP PrBL operational collaboration (APOC), Flying Start NHS Leads
Workstream focus: AHP Careers and Recruitment, Practice Based Learning, Supporting health and wellbeing of staff through transitions, Supporting workforce development
NHS Fife
Alyson Hutchison, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email address: alyson.hutchison2@nhs.scot
Hours of Work: Wed morning and all day Thursday
National Working Group Membership : Paramedics and Preceptorship
Workstream focus : Paramedics
Sarah Nicol, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email address: sarah.nicol@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday and Thursday
NHS Forth Valley
Claire Hedley, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: claire.hedley@nhs.scot
Hours of Work: Monday - Wednesday 0830-1630
National Working Group Membership : Support and Supervision
Workstream focus : Support and Supervision and Practice Educator development
Special interest: Use of third sector organisations to promote AHP work
Helen Paterson, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: helen.patterson3@nhs.scot
Hours of Work: Wednesday 0830-1630 and Thursday morning
National Working Group Membership :Placement offer coordination
Workstream focus : Paramedics and Practice Based Learning
Special interest: Paramedic placement provision and facilitation of learning workshops
NHS Grampian
Resources: https://nhsgintranet.grampian.scot.nhs.uk/depts/practiceeducation/AHP/Pages/default.aspx
Valery Burnett, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: valery.burnett@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Wednesdays (plus flexible hours for EOI work)
Workstream focus: Preceptorship and EOI: PE Development
Special interest: Supporting educators within the practice setting who are, or will be, working with a student who may be underpforming or with a student where reasonable adjustments should be considered. Supporting NQP transition to practice
Ann-Marie Anderson: AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: gram.ahppracticeeducation@nhs.scot
Working hours: Monday-Friday
National workstream membership: Paramedic National Working Group
Workstream focus: Specific focus on PrBL, including paramedics but covers all workstreams
Special interest: Peer assisted learning (PAL)
Julie Gillespie: AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: julie.gillespie2@nhs.scot
Working hours: 7.5 hours per week - varies to meet workload demand
National Working Group Membership: Support and Supervision
Workstream focus: Support and Supervision, Preceptorship, Return to Practice, Heathcare Support Workers
Special interest: Support and Supervision, Return to Practice, Healthcare Support Workers
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital
Additional contact details and resources: Allied Health Professions (AHP) Practice Education Team - NHSGGC
Jennifer Dick, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: Jennifer.Dick4@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
National Working Group Membership: AHP Careers
Workstream focus: NHS Flying Start programme, Promotion of AHP Careers, AHP Practice Based Learning
Special interest: Completing NQP support needs scoping exercise and focus group as part of expression of interest work
Sarah Richardson, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: sarah.richardson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Hours of work: Monday - Thursday
National Working Group Membership: Paramedic Ways of Working, Placement Allocation
Workstream focus: Predominately Paramedic workstream but will start to become more involved with HCSW work
Jillian Rennie, AHP Practice Education Facilitator
Email: ggc.gjnhahpepl@nhs.scot
Working hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
National Working Group Membership: Clinical skills and simulation
Workstream focus: Supervision, Preceptorship/Newly Qualified practitioners and Clinical Skills and Simulation
Elspeth Lee, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: elspeth.lee4@nhs.scot
Working hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
National Working Group Membership: Return to Practice
Workstream focus: AHP Practice Based Learning, Return to Practice, Clinical Skill
Heather Rodger, Associate Practice Educator
Email address: heather.rodger2@nhs.scot
Sharon Dempsey, PA/Administrator
Email: ggc.gjnhahpepl@nhs.scot
NHS Highland
Mandy Trickett, AHP Practice Education Lead (Argyll and Bute)
Email: mandy.trickett@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
National Working Group Membership: Careers and Return to Practice
Workstream focus: Careers, Return to Practice, Practice Based Learning, Flying Start
Special interest: Digital resources for Careers events, Cancer rehabilitation, PAL placements
Sarah Goudie, AHP Practice Education Lead (North Highland)
Email: sarah.goudie@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday - Friday
National Working Group Membership: AHP Preceptorship and Clinical Skills and Simulation Based Learning
Workstream focus: Practice based learning (focus on Paramedics), supporting health and wellbeing of staff through transitions and supporting workforce development
Special interest: Preceptorship and Digital Solutions
Jo Johnson, AHP Practice Education Lead (Highland Council)
Email: joanne.johnson3@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Thursday
NHS Lanarkshire
Resources: https://www.medednhsl.com:343/resources_s5_s6.asp?o=3
Contact details: ahp.practice.ed@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Gillian Trotter, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: ahp.practice.ed@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk and gillian.trotter@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Hours of work: Wednesday - Friday
National Working Group Membership: Preceptorship & SIM
Worksteam focus: Paramedic
Special interest: Career Fellowship Alumni
Home - Allied Health Professional Practice Education Lead (PEL)
Fiona Andrews, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email Address: Fiona.Andrews@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Lothian
Resources: AHP Practice Education – NHS Lothian | Staff
AHP Practice Based Learning – AHP Practice Education (nhslothian.scot)
Contact details: ahppracticeeducation@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
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Annabel Allen, AHP PEL
Email: Annabel.Allen@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Hours of work: Tuesday and Thursday
National Working Group Membership: Careers: Attraction, Marketing and Recruitment.
Lorna Sinclair, AHP Strategic Practice Education Lead
Email: lorna.sinclair2@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Working hours: Monday - Friday
Sarah Nicol, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: sarah.nicol@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
NHS Orkney
Alice Toepritz, AHP Practice Education Lead (with a focus on Practice-based Learning in Orkney)
Email: alice.toepritz@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Thursday
Laura Garner, AHP Practice Education Lead (with a focus on Support and Supervision in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles)
Email: laura.garner2@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday to Thursday
NHS Shetland
Resources: https://www.nhsshetland.scot/
Sarah Goudie, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: sarah.goudie@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday - Friday
National Working Group Membership: AHP Precptorship and Clinical Skills and simulation based learning
Workstream focus: AHP Careers and Recruitment, Practice Based Learning, Supporting health and wellbeing of staff through transitions and supporting workforce development
Special interest: Preceptorship and Digital Solutions
Laura Garner, AHP Practice Education Lead (with a focus on Support and Supervision in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles)
Email: laura.garner2@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday to Thursday
NHS State Hospital
Abbe Campbell, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: abbe.campbell3@nhs.scot
NHS Tayside
Contact details: tay.ahpeducation@nhs.scot
Lynne Sheridan, AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: lynne.sheridan@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
National Working Group Membership: Practice Based Learning - Peer Assisted Learning (PAL), Practiced Based Learning - Practice Educator development
Workstream focus: Practice Based Learning including paramedics
Mike Carlin, AHP Associate Practice Educator
Email: michael.carlin@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Workstream focus: HCSWs
Fiona Reid, AHP Education and Teaching Lead
Email: fiona.reid5@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday - Friday (hours vary)
National Working Group Membership: Return to Practice, Preceptorship
Workstream focus: Return to Practice, HCSWs, international recruits, supporting workforce development
Special interest: Specialist palliative care, Interprofessional learning
Claire Curtis: AHP Practice Education Lead
Email: claire.curtis11@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday
National Working Group Membership: AHP Careers
Workstream focus: AHP careers, Support and Supervision, NQPs.
NHS Western Isles
Laura Garner, AHP Practice Education Lead (with a focus on Support and Supervision in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles)
Email: laura.garner2@nhs.scot
Hours of work: Monday to Thursday
A further AHP Practice Education Lead to start in November 2026