Return to practice for allied health professionals with protected characteristics: a mixed-methods study

Introduction: Return to practice is one mechanism for recruiting and retaining allied health professionals (AHPs) within the health and care workforce in England. It is not known how this affects persons with protected characteristics. Aim: To understand experiences of AHPs with protected characteristics of returning to the workforce through a return to practice programme. Method: A QUAL (semistructured interviews) + qual (focus group interviews) mixed-methods study. 12 online semistructured interviews with return to practice AHPs, followed by 2 online focus groups. Results: Our research identifies a new type of returners who have to use the return to practice programme as a vehicle to step into health and social care as they have not been able to find employment. A main driver to return to practice was financial reason. Conclusion: To date there, is little evidence of leaders understanding the complexities of AHPs in a return to practice programme, the considerable contribution they can make to the workplace and the current inequities that exist.