
Allied Health Professionals
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS PLAY A PART IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE DELIVERY OF MORE INTEGRATED, SEAMLESS CARE FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES.

Working as an allied health professional you will be fully integrated into patient care and play an important role in helping patients in Dorset to self-manage themselves and live their healthiest lives. You will be part of the third largest workforce of the NHS and make a significant contribution to the lives of people in Dorset, making this a really special role. There are a number of opportunities for you to help support the greater Dorset community as an allied health professional in roles such as dieticians, paramedics, podiatrists and occupational therapists to name a few.

AHP staff help prevent, diagnose and treat illness using their knowledge of science and their technical skills. They expertise helps save lives and improve patient care in a either supporting role, such as pathologists, or in direct contact with patients, for instance physiotherapists.
AHPs play in improving care for patients, streamlining services, and supporting NHS staff. As we move towards delivering more integrated health and care, closer to home and out of hospital, the role of AHPs has never been more important.
A career in the allied health professions makes you highly employable, allows you to help people every day and gives you the flexibility to live and work anywhere.
The 14 allied health professions
NICOLA PARTRIDGE
Outpatient physiotherapy team lead

Hello from Dorset! I’m Nicola, and outpatient physiotherapy team lead at Bridport Hospital, but I also manage the teams in Lyme Regis and Portland.
I grew up in Dorset’s county town of Dorchester before moving away for work. In 2016 I decided to make the move back to Dorset to be closer to my family and settled in Bridport.
It’s so lovely being near the coast. For the first year it felt like being on holiday! My commute along the coast road to Portland and Lyme Regis means I can see the sea every time I travel. The whole commute is just full of beautiful scenery.
I enjoy walking, and will often see a hill and think, ‘oh, I haven’t walked up that one yet,’ then get home and plan the route. It’s so nice to be able to plan which beach or which hill I’ll explore that weekend. I got into distance walking before I moved, and it’s been wonderful being able to continue among such amazing scenery. A colleague of mine lives in Frome, Somerset, which is just over an hour away. He works here three days a week and two days there. When he’s working here, he stays on a campsite in his campervan. He keeps his paddleboard and kayak in storage in Lyme Regis so there on hand when he’s in here, and he absolutely loves it!

