Elevating the allied health professions workforce: leadership’s role in shaping professional identity

As global healthcare systems contend with rising pressures, strengthening the Allied Health Professions (AHP) workforce has become a strategic priority. In England, national reforms have promoted AHP leadership to unify a historically fragmented workforce and enhance collective influence. While these reforms have established strategic leadership roles and outlined a national AHP strategy, the impact of AHP leadership on shaping a collective AHP identity remains underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining how AHP leadership influences the development of a shared identity across the AHP workforce. Using a grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 registered AHPs. Participants represented 11 of the 14 professions recognised as AHPs in the National Health Service (NHS) in England and represented a diversity of experience and health sectors. Constant comparative analysis was used to develop key categories grounded in participants’ perspectives and experiences. The findings identified four interrelated concepts that explain how AHP leadership enhances or constrains the development of a collective identity: broadening perspective, connecting across AHPs, experiencing inequality within the AHP collective, and experiencing underrepresentation. Findings established that inclusive and visible leadership helped expand awareness beyond individual professions and enabled cross-professional connection. In contrast, inconsistent leadership practices, unequal representation, and the absence of effective, senior AHP leadership reinforce professional silos, undermine belonging, and diminished the perceived value of the AHP collective. AHP leadership plays a central role in shaping collective professional identity. Where leadership is inclusive, engaged, and prototypical, it promotes cohesion, strategic alignment, and a stronger collective voice. Conversely, limited leadership visibility or inequitable representation exacerbates fragmentation and weakens identity development. To support workforce retention and system impact, policy and practice must prioritise the development of effective, adaptable and inclusive AHP leaders who can create the conditions for meaningful connection, equity, and engagement. These findings offer transferable insights for healthcare systems and a conceptual synthesis of leadership practices that can guide future leadership development and policy.