Developing leaders from within: a thematic analysis of allied health professionals’ experiences in a fellowship programme

Abstract Background Allied health professionals play an integral role within the NHS because of their input into the delivery of high-quality patient care and help meet the demand of the workforce. However, allied health professionals remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions. The evidence suggests that there is limited access to development opportunities, which impacts the retention and supply of new Allied Health Professionals. Fellowship programmes have been developed as a means of providing learning opportunities for allied health professionals to develop strategic leadership skills and system-level thinking. The current study aims to explore the effectiveness of the NENC Allied Health Professions (AHP) Clinical Fellow Workforce Programme by gaining an understanding of participants’ experiences with the programme and what impact this has had on their professional development, identity and career aspirations. Method A qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with 9 participants in the fellowship programme was employed. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed thematically by each member of the research team, and investigator triangulation was used to reach a consensus of themes among the research team. The findings were validated by participants to ensure that they accurately reflected their experiences engaging in the programme. Results The research team identified themes that reflect the experiences of fellows in the programme, including two overarching themes: “Growth and Challenges in the Fellowship Experience” and “Developing AHPs: Bridging Expertise to Leadership”, each with associated key themes and subthemes. Fellows recognised the opportunity for professional development and emphasised the supportive environment driving their success. Fellows developed leadership and networking capabilities, preparing allied health professionals to develop more leadership positions across the NHS workforce. Conclusions The findings provide valuable insight into fellows’ experiences of participating in the NENC AHP Clinical Fellowship Programme, where the findings illustrate the perceived value of fostering leadership capabilities, professional development, and wider system understanding. Further research is needed to establish whether future fellowship programmes as a career development opportunity, translate into sustained increases in AHP representation in senior leadership. In doing so, future research should move beyond self-reported learning to examine how fellowship participation translates into measurable changes in leadership representation, workforce retention, and service delivery.