About this role
Job summary
The role provides strategic leadership for AHP workforce development across GWH, promoting innovative practice, early-career engagement, equitable preceptorship, and high-quality student placement experiences. It leads and coordinates undergraduate activity, supports return-to-practice and apprenticeship expansion, and strengthens career pathways including extended scope, ACP routes, leadership development, and research opportunities. The post works collaboratively with AHP managers, HR, HEI partners, and system colleagues to ensure compassionate, inclusive workforce practices, robust governance, and high standards of education and staff development. It oversees mentorship and preceptor capability, manages learner-related data, builds strong relationships with service leads, contributes to trust-wide AHP initiatives, and supports the AHP Staff Council. The role also provides professional leadership, project management, and delegated support to the AD for AHPs, ensuring effective communication, safe learning culture, and alignment with organisational workforce priorities.
Main duties of the job
The role provides strategic leadership for AHP workforce development across GWH, promoting innovative practice, early-career engagement, equitable preceptorship, and high-quality student placement experiences. It leads and coordinates undergraduate activity, supports return-to-practice and apprenticeship expansion, and strengthens career pathways including extended scope, ACP routes, leadership development, and research opportunities. The post works collaboratively with AHP managers, HR, HEI partners, and system colleagues to ensure compassionate, inclusive workforce practices, robust governance, and high standards of education and staff development. It oversees mentorship and preceptor capability, manages learner-related data, builds strong relationships with service leads, contributes to trust-wide AHP initiatives, and supports the AHP Staff Council. The role also provides professional leadership, project management, and delegated support to the AD for AHPs, ensuring effective communication, safe learning culture, and alignment with organisational workforce priorities.
About us
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.
We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.
Job description Job responsibilities
The AHP Workforce Lead will work closely with the Associate Director of AHPs, the AHP student service, and the wider trust workforce team to support, strengthen, and develop AHP services across GWH. The role contributes to shaping and delivering key workforce workstreams, including those aligned to the NHS Long Term Plan, and leads initiatives to maximise AHP training pipelines, enhance retention, and grow our own workforce through preregistration, apprenticeship, and careerdevelopment pathways. The post holder will collaborate across the Group hospital modelparticularly with RUH and Salisburyto ensure AHP workforce development is safe, productive, sustainable, and aligned with local and system needs. They will linemanage the GWH student placement project team and require experience in project management or service improvement, alongside a broad understanding of AHP workforce structures, enhanced and advanced practice pathways, consultant roles, AHP Faculties, and the wider healthcare system.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registered AHP Master's Degree level qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable
Management qualification Leadership course Project management course
Experience Essential
Significant experience of being a clinical AHP Up to date knowledge of HCPC standards and NHS long term workforce plan Significant post registration experience at band 7 or above
Desirable
Management experience Experience of working to achieve AHP strategic drivers Understanding of AHP workforce planning and barriers Working across organisational boundaries
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address Great western Hospital
Marlborough Road
Swindon
SN3 6BB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.gwh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)