The 14 Allied Health Professions (AHPs) work across health and social care settings and represent the third largest clinical work-force in health. The Long term Workforce plan (NHS, 2023) sets out that education and training places for the AHP workforce are estimated to need to grow by 19–25% by 2030/31. Among the AHPs, the greatest shortfalls will be seen for podiatrists, paramedics occupational therapists, diagnostic radiographers and speech and language therapists with limited supply growth projected. This is due to the education and training pipeline not keeping pace with expected demand. It identifies the reliance on international recruitment to fill workforce gaps.
This programme of work is in line with the NHS England workforce, training & education (WT&E) directorate in the South East AHP vision ‘To deliver an effective supply of AHPs, ensuring robust deployment and development of staff, whilst placing a focus on the retention, diversity & inclusion of the workforce, across professions and geography, to ensure the South East has the right workforce with the right skills in the right place to deliver high quality care.’
This project was a partnership between NHSE WT&E South East AHP team and Plymouth Marjon University. Stakeholder engagement and involvement was present from Radiographer service leads, local universities delivering diagnostic radiography programmes and the professional body. The e-learning package has been piloted with two cohorts of international recruited diagnostic radiographers and feedback has been used to make changes to the learning package.
Learning outcomes of the e-learning package:
1. The new recruits should know what to expect in terms of language and communication and challenges related to integration in the workplace when they start work within their departments;
2. The new recruits will have an improved level of awareness of the challenges ahead especially in language and communication;
3. They will have an enhanced ability to deal practically with professional challenges relating to language and challenges within the workplace;
4. Team leaders and management teams will have an appreciation of the challenges facing the new recruits, and an awareness of how to help
To access this learning, please click the following link: https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/Supporting-Internationally-Recruited-Radiographers
Recognition to:
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• Buckinghamshire New University
• University of Portsmouth
• Plymouth Marjon University
• Kerry Mills
• Stuart Moore
• Malany Kalicharan