PhD Studentship: Understanding delegation, capability and emerging roles among AHP support workers in community and Intermediate Care – PhD Public Health

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West is inviting applications for a PhD studentship to commence on 21 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.  For eligible students the studentship will cover Home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £21,805 for 3 years full-time. We welcome applicants who wish to study less than full-time, provided they complete their studies before March 2031. The student would be based in the ARC South West in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at St Luke’s Campus in Exeter.

Community rehabilitation and intermediate care services play a central role in supporting older people and adults with multiple long-term conditions to remain independent, improve quality of life and avoid unnecessary hospital admission. These services are increasingly expected to deliver proactive, personalised care closer to home, reflecting national policy and pressures on healthcare services. NHS England has identified community-based care and workforce transformation as critical to the delivery of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, including optimising numbers and skills of staff and expanding the contribution of the non-registered workforce. Within this context, Allied Health Profession (AHP) support workers are an essential and growing part of community rehabilitation teams. While national guidelines outline expected skills they need and career development opportunities, there is emerging evidence  that some services are developing new roles that operate beyond traditional boundaries. However, there is currently no clear national picture of how widespread these roles are, how they are safely managed, or how they contribute to staffing levels, quality, and patient experience. Addressing this gap is important to ensure workforce innovation aligns with national priorities for safety, sustainability, and equity.

Community and Intermediate Care services rely heavily on AHP support workers, yet there is a limited evidence base to inform how these roles are defined, supported, and developed in practice. Current uncertainties around role boundaries, delegation and supervision, capability development, and the emergence of more advanced roles create challenges for designing workforce models that are safe, effective, and sustainable. Addressing these gaps is essential to support delivery of the Ageing Well agenda and aligns directly with the Department of Health and Social Care’s Areas of Research Interest, which identify skill mix, role development, and workforce sustainability in community settings as key research priorities.

Research questions

• How do AHP support workers understand their roles and boundaries when supporting older adults in community and Intermediate Care rehabilitation, including where responsibilities extend beyond formal role descriptions?
• How are delegation, supervision and accountability negotiated in everyday practice, particularly in relation to more complex or extended tasks?
• What organisational, relational and contextual factors shape support worker capability, confidence and professional identity?
• How do emerging advanced or enhanced support worker roles develop, and how are they experienced by support workers, AHPs and managers?

Aim - To understand how AHP support workers enact delegated rehabilitation work in community and Intermediate Care settings, including emerging advanced roles, and to use these insights to inform evidence-based workforce development.

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