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Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for AHPs
Please note these pages are for reference only and contain historical information referring to COVID-19: March 2020 - September 2020.
Health Education England is working with the Chief Allied Health Professions (AHP) Officer and AHP leadership team across NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and partners to provide a system-wide response to COVID-19 from the allied health professions (AHPs).
Ending paid AHP work opportunities and reintroducing standard placements and FAQs
We would like to thank all those students who have been able to come forward to support our services over this challenging time. Your valuable contribution supporting patients and clinical teams is hugely appreciated.
At the outset of the pandemic, we committed to supporting students to either continue progressing on their education programme or to complete their studies and join the HCPC’s register for their chosen profession. We are now looking at the transition back to the standard placements system. Alongside the HCPC, the Council of Deans of Health, NHS Employers and our union partners, we have produced an FAQs document to support how we do this.
Returning to Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic
We are keen to encourage former HCPC registrants to return to practice and support our frontline staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic, therefore HEE will continue to provide support for HCPC registrants during this time.
If you have received a letter from the HCPC please follow their instructions. This will allow you to be temporary registered and practice under protected status. For those who wish to return to the register later, you will need to follow the HCPC RTP guidance.
It is still possible to return, support and provide your skills even though not registered with the HCPC by visiting the NHS website.
If you wish to RTP over the next year by using the HCPC guidance please continue visiting the pages.
Thank you for your support.
Zahra Fazal, 3rd Year Physiotherapy student, Coventry University
Working through the pandemic has made me reflect on the kind of clinician I would like to be. It has been a start in the deep end but has made me eager to look forward to the challenges to come. The skills learnt; constantly adapting and being innovative will be skills that I know will be of benefit in the future.
Read Zahra's full case study here
Emma Seehusen, Structural and Cranial Osteopath at Elmstead Osteopathy, serving South East London / Bromley / Kent
“The experience invigorated my passion for working in healthcare, particularly as it involved helping patients so critically ill, where every second counted and your contribution was so important. It has inspired me on to further work with the NHS’ response to Covid-19 and I'm currently working as a Clinical Contact Caseworker to support current cases and help prevent further transmission of the virus.”
Read Emma's full case study here
Laura Purvis, Occupational Therapy Student
“Due to now finishing my degree I will be starting a new role elsewhere in a month or so outside of this service. I have learnt a great deal throughout my time at Alnwood which will help and support me throughout my new job and career.”
Read Laura's full case study here
Daniel Alcedo, Joe Alvarez and Danielle Beamish, Community Dieticians
“On the ITU we were working three days a week, 12 and a half hour shifts. Completely different to our normal jobs. We were assisting the nurses look after the patients on intensive care, seeing very sick patients. That can be very difficult, especially when you’re not used to seeing it in your usual job.”
Hear from Daniel, Joe and Danielle, along with other AHPs here
Alex Milligan and Jack Wilson, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists
“We were asked to be PPE Officers, provided with extra training from Infection Control and PHE. We were then asked to train the whole therapy team; the physios, OTs and assistants, that was educational and a great opportunity.”
Health Education England is asking universities to contact their eligible Allied Health Professional (AHP) students to discuss their options for using their education programme to help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will soon be contacted by their university to discuss their options and will be asked if they would like to opt-in to undertake a paid employment opportunity with an NHS organisation.
Students will be provided with HEE guidance and a letter from the Associate Director for Education & Quality at Health Education England, Beverley Harden, and Suzanne Rastrick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (England), outlining how selected student AHPs at some stages of their training can opt to take up a paid NHS role.
View the student support guidance
A joint statement was also released by the Chief Allied Health Professions Officers of the four nations, Chief Executive and Registrar of Health and Care Professions Council and Chair of Council of Deans of Health, on how they will support and enable the student allied health professional workforce to respond to the COVID-19.
Read the statement on the HCPC webpage here.
We are working across the four nations on a combined response to support registrant, returner and student deployment to frontline clinical services.
Priorities over the past week have included:
- Advising on the coronavirus bill of emergency measures put before Parliament.
- Supporting new and existing AHP returnees.
- Optional deployment of final year AHP students and supporting year 1/2 students.
- Supporting re-deployment of registered AHP staff working in the arms-length-bodies
- Timely advice across the system.
The HCPC has developed a COVID-19 temporary register, of two parts to ensure there are no regulatory barriers to the following two groups practising on a temporary basis:
- Former registrants who have de-registered within the last three years.
- Final year students, on UK approved programmes, who have completed all their clinical practice placements.
The HCPC has created a COVID-19 hub with further advice and regular updates. A UK-wide joint letter to NHS providers and Chief AHPs has also been agreed by all four Chief AHP Officers, HCPC and Council of Deans, and was published and sent out to service this afternoon.
Regional HEE AHP Leads across England will support and advise on associated regional deployment processes.
For queries contact: england.cahpo@nhs.net
This accelerated preceptorship guide is for use with newly qualified practitioners (NQPs) and Health Care Professionals (HCP's) on the HCPC Covid-19 temporary register in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guidance is focused on how health and care organisations pan-London can support newly qualified practitioners (NQPs) and health care professionals (HCPs) on the Covid-19 temporary register.
Resources for AHPs
Regularly updated summary resources for the allied health professions (AHP) workforce. These curate key published national guidance and updates in relation to COVID-19.
Access the resources hereHCPC supporting former registrants
The COVID-19 pandemic has had huge impacts on the healthcare workforce, and we want to make sure we support registrants and applicants through this as far as possible
Take a look at the HCPC website