Helping hand

University Degree:

• Undergraduate degrees: 3/4 years
• Postgraduate degrees/Masters: 2 years

See here for approved courses: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/education/approved-programmes/

Apprenticeship:

Apprenticeships for AHPs are still fairly new but more and more are being developed.

Apprenticeships are currently available for Podiatry, Paramedics, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Occupational Therapy, Operating Department Practice, Physiotherapy and Dietetics.

See more information here: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/apprenticeships

GCSE

English Language and Maths – Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent.

The following may also be accepted but check with the education provider: Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2, and the Certificate in Adult Literacy/Numeracy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

A-Level

Entry requirements and grade vary dependent on the university and allied health professional course. Generally for most allied health professional courses the grade requirements range from BCC to AAB.

The above table is a brief overview for the subject and grade requirement. Please visit individual university websites for a more detailed entry requirements.

Further information:

https://www.ucas.com/nhs-careers

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles

As well as registered AHP roles, there are also range of assistant roles available within healthcare, such as Occupational Therapy Assistant, a Dietetic Assistant Practitioner or Technical Instructor. Training to become a registered AHP could be something to pursue in the future should you enter the profession as an assistant.

Every role in the NHS is given a different salary band depending on your role. You can progress every year through training and development.

For up-to-date information :

Band levels & salary

The UCAS Tariff Point system is a standardised way to translate different academic qualifications to point system. If you are holding qualification apart from A Level, the table will allow you to know whether you have met the minimum requirement.  For example, a typical requirement for a BBB course will require 120 UCAS points.

Further details of UCAS Tariff points can be found here

https://www.ucas.com/file/259341/download?token=GXu_Pq-H

Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC) is responsible for regulating 13 of the 14 AHPs.

They are in the charge of setting standards, course approval, member registration and renewal, and manage members who did not reach their standard.

Since AHPs are protected titles, you need to register with the HCPC before using your AHP title.

Further information: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/

You can apply for a European Certificate of Current Professional Status (EU) or Registration confirmation letter (Non-EU) which prove your HCPC register, allowing practice with different countries after registration with local authority.

Please check with the country you wish to practice in for the detailed requirement in practicing outside UK.

Further information: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/registration/your-registration/practising-outside-the-uk/

All AHP courses require clinical placements during the course. Generally a minimum of 800 – 1000 clinical hours spread over the years are required.

Clinical placement provides hand-on practical experience for students, which increase the confidence of practicing after qualification as an AHP. Each course will provide more details on what a placement will look like for your profession of interest.

As an Allied Health Professional (AHP) support worker, you may work alongside one or more AHP’s, for example as an Occupational Therapy Assistant you will work with Occupational Therapists, where as a Healthy Living Advisor may work with Dietitians, Physiotherapists and Speech and Language Therapists.

Many of the professional bodies for each AHP have specific support and information available to you as support workers. The table below provides information on each professional body, the membership subscription and links to specific webpages or general information from the professional body: