AHP Careers Fellowship Scheme
Introduction
The AHP Careers Fellowship Scheme supports career development for the AHP workforce in the public health and social care sector in Scotland.
It does this by funding AHP staff to:
- Participate in a learning programme delivered by NHS Education for Scotland and appointed facilitators
- Lead and deliver a work-based project over 10- 12 months to improve, change or develop AHP services. This can be team, service, locality, organisation or region based. We will also consider national projects.
Find out more:
Fellowship outcomes
The Scheme facilitates the following outcomes for a Cohort of Fellows:
- Greater understanding of influence on others and ability to influence peers, close colleagues, and wider partners
- Active and purposeful building and use of relationships and networks to support AHP practice
- Development of knowledge, skills, and adaptability to support the dissemination of learning or wider implementation of a project
- Stronger practical collaboration with peers and colleagues to enhance services and improve outcomes
- Sharing of new practices, evidence, and expertise effectively to facilitate service change and development
- Creation of practice-based learning, training, or educational opportunities
- Stronger engagement with people accessing services
- Greater understanding of the strengths and limitations of research, evaluation, and service improvement methodologies in practice
Who can apply?
The AHP Careers Fellowship Scheme will accept applications from Allied Health Professionals, AHP Healthcare Support Workers (HCSW) and AHP Assistant Practitioners employed in NHSScotland or local authorities in Scotland from the following professions:
- Art therapists
- Dance movement psychotherapists
- Diagnostic radiographers
- Dietitians
- Drama therapists
- Music therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Orthoptists
- Paramedics
- Podiatrists
- Physiotherapists
- Prosthetists and orthotists
- Speech and language therapists
- Therapeutic radiographers
We will also consider applications from the AHP workforce within the Third and Independent Sectors, further and higher education where they are submitted in partnership with health and social care AHP services and where there is anticipated benefit to people using / delivering services.
Team Applications
We will consider applications for up to two people to co-lead a project. In this instance, submit separate applications forms, making it clear on your form that you are applying to co-lead a project and name who your co-lead is. Further information available in the Guidance and FAQs.
Governance
How are AHP Fellowships awarded?
The AHP Careers Fellowship is a competitive process. All applications are reviewed by a panel who make recommendations to fund or not. Decisions are based on;
- How the proposed fellowship represents a learning opportunity for the individual and their anticipated learning outcomes
- The nature and scope of the work-based project
- Portfolio considerations i.e. aiming to ensure a spread of Fellows across professions, grades and geography
The panel may agree a straight “yes, recommend fund” or “no, funding not recommended”. It may also agree “yes with conditions” or suggest adaptations or adjustments to proposed Fellowships. If this is the case, NES will have further discussions with the applicant(s) and their line manager to agree if it is possible to progress or not. The panel may also have further clarification questions which need to be explored.
AHP Careers Fellowship Advisory Group
The Advisory Group provides strategic and operational advice on the management, development and delivery of the AHP Careers Fellowship Scheme.
NES administer the group and it's composition reflects key stakeholders including representatives from the AHP Directors Group, Scottish Government Health Directorates Officer, Team manager/service lead from NHS Boards/Health and Social Care Partnerships, AHP Fellows (previous and/or current cohort, further/higher education and NES AHP Team.