Background and Context

There are approximately 16,300 AHPs and AHP HCSWs employed in Scotland (NES 2025). AHP and AHP HCSW contribution is essential to providing safe, effective, and person-centred services across the health and social care sector.

National policy and drivers recognise that a well-educated, motivated, capable and supported workforce is vital to achieving Scotland’s vision for health and social care (NES Strategic Framework 2019-2024, Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care in Scotland 2022, and Improving Wellbeing and Working Cultures - gov.scot (www.gov.scot), 2024).

Effective supervision can contribute to the continued development of healthy organisational cultures, ensure sustainable AHP practice, support the development of advanced practice roles (Transforming Roles paper 9: allied health professions advanced practice - gov.scot), as well as supporting staff engagement and morale (HCPC 2015). The HCPC publication Preventing small problems from becoming big problems in health and care | (hcpc-uk.org) (2015) highlights poor or infrequent supervision as a potential trigger for staff disengagement. Ways of preventing problems include: good supervision, regular appraisal, buddying schemes, mentoring, preceptorship, professional networks, reflective practice and keeping up to date. Other triggers for disengagement that may highlight the need for increased supervision include: workload pressures, professional isolation and personal circumstances. (Martin et al 2021)

Supervision is also a key structure that is vital to support staff during a period of preceptorship, with the HCPC acknowledging this in the recently published Principles of Preceptorship (2023) document.

The HCPC (2023) describes preceptorship as:

“ a period of structured support provided at key moments of career transition. This includes joining the workforce for the first time, returning to work after a long period away (including being re-admitted to the register), working in the UK for the first time, taking up a new role, or moving to a new organisation”. 

Whereas supervision is ongoing throughout a career journey, preceptorship is for a set period of transition in a career, focusing on building confidence and competence in a new role. Further information about preceptorship can be found on the Allied health professions (AHP) preceptorship hub | Turas | Learn