Returning to an AHP career
Are you a qualified allied health professional who wants to return to a career in health and social care? Find out how to re-register with the Health and Care Professions Council and return to practice.
Take the next step in your journey, and come back to us.
Who are AHPs?
AHPs are healthcare professionals who use their knowledge and skills to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate people of all ages across health and social care services. There are 14 unique roles:
- art therapist
- diagnostic radiographer
- dietitian
- dramatherapist
- music therapist
- occupational therapist
- orthoptist
- orthotist
- paramedic
- physiotherapist
- podiatrist
- prosthetist
- speech and language therapist
- therapeutic radiographer
Return to practice process for AHPs
The journey that leads you and your skills back to us is simple, and we’ll support you every step of the way.
Watch our video to help you navigate your way back to practice as an AHP.
Eligibility for the AHP return to practice process
You must be a qualified AHP to apply for re-registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and meet one of the following criteria:
- previous registration with the HCPC but out of practice for more than 2 years
- registered with the HCPC for more than 2 years but not practised and consider yourself to be out of practice
In addition, you must not be subject to any fitness-to-practice proceedings with the HCPC.
Find out more about the re-registration process.
Career conversation
If you're thinking about returning to practice as an AHP, book a career conversation with our team.
Contact us by email - ahp.practice.ed@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Requirements for AHPs returning to practice
The HCPC defines a returnee to practice as an individual who has not practised for more than 2 years. Depending on the amount of time that has passed since you last practised, you may have to update your skills.
The requirements for returning to practice are:
- 2 to 5 years out of practice – 30 days of updating your skills and knowledge
- 5 or more years out of practice – 60 days of updating your skills and knowledge
For this process, a day is classed as 7 hours. You'll have 24 months to complete the re-registration process.
The return to practice process varies between professions. Your professional body will let you know the specific requirements for your profession. View a list of AHP professional bodies.
Updating your skills and knowledge
The process of returning to practice is managed and designed by you using HCPC guidance. Please familiarise yourself with the HCPC requirements for updating your knowledge and skills. Choose activities that suit your needs and the area where you hope to work.
There are 3 separate ways to update your knowledge and skills:
- supervised practice - practising under the supervision of a registered practitioner of the same professional group
- formal study - structured learning provided by a person or organisation
- private study - learning structured by the returnee, including websites, library books and journals
It is important to remember that no more than half your days can be private study.
AHP return to practice stories
Check out our latest return to practice blog posts, where AHPs share their experience of the process.
Applying for supervised practice
If you're eligible to return to practice, you can apply for a period of supervised practice with your chosen health board.
Read NHS Education for Scotland's guidance for arranging supervised practice.
To get started, you'll need to:
- Contact your desired health board by completing a supervised practice request form.
- Meet with your health board's return to practice team so that they can check your documents and discuss the process with you.
- Confirm your return to practice with your health board who will assign you a supervisor.
If you have any questions at any stage, your health board team will be available to support you.
How to request supervised practice
If you wish to progress with supervised practice, please use the supervised practice request form.
Return to practice contacts
If you want to ask a specific question about local return to practice arrangements, the key contact details are listed below. If you haven't received a response within 10 working days, please email ahp.practice.ed@nes.scot.nhs.uk
I want to contact a local authority
NES AHP Practice Education team - ahp.practice.ed@nes.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Ayrshire and Arran
AHP Practice Education team - aa.aaahppracticeeducation@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Borders
AHP Practice Education team - sarah.florida-james@nhs.scot
NHS Dumfries and Galloway
AHP Education team - dg.ahpeducation@nhs.scot
NHS Fife
AHP Return to Practice team - Margaret Braid margaret.braid@nhs.scot
NHS Forth Valley
AHP Practice Education team - claire.hedley@nhs.scot and helen.paterson3@nhs.scot
NHS Golden Jubilee
AHP Practice Education team - ggc.gjnhahpepl@nhs.scot
NHS Grampian
Return to practice team - gram.ahprtp@nhs.scot
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
AHP Practice Education team - ggc.gjnhahpepl@nhs.scot
NHS Highland
AHP Practice Education team - nhsh.ahp-pel@nhs.scot
NHS Lanarkshire
AHP Practice Education team - ahp.practice.ed@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Lothian
AHP Practice Education team - ahppracticeeducation@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
NHS Orkney
Gina McMahon - gina.mcmahon1@nhs.scot
NHS Shetland
AHP Practice Education Lead - sarah.goudie@nhs.scot
NHS Tayside
AHP Practice Education team - tay.ahpeducation@nhs.scot
NHS Western Isles
AHP Practice Education Lead - laura.ohalloran@nhs.scot
The State Hospital
AHP Practice Education Team - tsh.ahppracticeeducation@nhs.scot
Before your supervised practice can be confirmed, you'll need to provide various information requested by the health board. This will include:
- proof of identity
- evidence of your professional qualification
- a letter from the HCPC stating when you left the register and any previous fitness to practise issues you may have had
- a professional reference, if available
All of the required forms will be provided by the health board.
In the return to practice process, you're not being assessed on your competency. The process is led by you, the returnee. Your supervisor is there to support you and sign off that you have done the required amount of supervised practice.
You should make sure that you:
- meet with your supervisor at the start to discuss your learning needs and what you hope to achieve during supervised practice
- agree on a learning plan with your supervisor
- adapt your learning needs during the period of supervised practice
- develop a portfolio to demonstrate your learning and development
You must also make a professional decision as to whether the period of supervised practice undertaken has been enough to allow you to practise safely and effectively.
Your supervisor is there to support you and confirm that you've completed the required number of hours of supervised practice. They're not there to assess your fitness to practice, that's your responsibility.
However, your supervisor will:
- Assist you to identify the skills and knowledge you need to update.
- Arrange for you to receive the support and access you need.
- Make sure that colleagues in the team you're working in are aware of your role so that you're properly supported.
Your supervisor will also sign off your paperwork to show you have completed your supervised practice.
As a qualified allied health professional, you can see patients. Return to practice is your opportunity to refresh your skills, not start from scratch.
Once you've re-registered with the HCPC, you can apply for any roles that you feel you have the skills and knowledge for. You do not have to start at a lower band position.
Become a return to practice supervisor
If you’re a qualified AHP who has been registered with the HCPC for at least 3 years, you can become a return to practice supervisor.
During each placement, you’ll spend time with the returnee and provide help and support specific to their learning needs.
Find out how you can become a return to practice supervisor by sending an email to our team - ahp.practice.ed@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Step back into your AHP career
If you're a qualified allied health professional who wants to return to practice, please complete our supervised practice request form.
Navigate page
Arranging supervised practice
NHS Education for Scotland's return to practice guidance will help you with the supervised practice process.
Download now
AHPScot blog
Visit the AHPScot blog to hear from AHPs who share their experience of the return to practice process.
Visit AHPScot blog