Transforming AHP Job Planning at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Book a demoAHPs actively using the system in the 2025/26 cycle
AHPs in the first full cycle, 2024/25
to a fully digitised job planning solution
Overview
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) needed a more consistent and transparent approach to organising and supporting its Allied Health Professional (AHP) workforce. With a diverse group of registrants, support workers, and apprentices, there was a need for clearer visibility of roles, responsibilities, and overall workforce capacity.
BSMHFT introduced Patchwork's L2P Job Planning solution to bring structure and consistency to AHP workforce planning, with implementation beginning in late 2023. Today, around 200 staff are actively using the system, with the majority of job plans built from these templates — balancing consistency with personalisation.
Written by Aimee Turner, Trust AHP Professional Development Lead
The challenge
The Trust needed clearer visibility of roles, responsibilities, and overall workforce capacity across a diverse AHP workforce of registrants, support workers, and apprentices.
No formal job planning process
This was the first time the Trust had introduced a formal job planning process and digital solution for non-medical staff.
A cultural and operational shift
Introducing job planning required both a cultural and operational shift in how job planning was approached across the organisation.
The approach: scalable, standardised, still personal
A key focus from the outset was creating a scalable and standardised approach, with implementation beginning in late 2023.
A template library aligned to role and banding
A comprehensive set of job plan templates was developed in line with role and banding expectations, providing a consistent foundation across the workforce. Individuals retain the flexibility to tailor these templates, ensuring each job plan reflects their specific responsibilities and priorities.
Documentation and toolkits for staff and managers
Alongside this, the Trust and Patchwork's L2P Job Planning team developed supporting documentation and toolkits to guide both staff and managers through the process, helping to embed job planning as a meaningful and repeatable activity.
Value and impact
Strong and improving adoption
The first full job planning cycle (2024/25) saw 159 AHPs actively using the system, rising to 206 the following cycle (2025/26), demonstrating growing engagement and confidence in the process.
AHPs actively using the system between the 2024/25 and 2025/26 job planning cycles
A notable increase in fully closed job plans, with fewer left in draft or partially agreed states
The majority of job plans are built from the standardised template library, balancing consistency with personalisation
More robust and complete processes
There has also been a notable increase in fully closed job plans, indicating a more mature and consistent approach. Plans are less likely to remain in draft or partially agreed states, even when completed retrospectively. The use of structured templates has enabled a high level of consistency across roles, while still allowing individuals to tailor plans to their needs.
Better workforce visibility and planning
Managers now have clearer oversight of workforce activity and capacity, supporting more informed decision-making and resource planning.
Improved staff experience
Staff benefit from clearer expectations and greater recognition of their work, helping them feel more supported and empowered in their roles. With clearer structure and alignment, clinicians are better able to focus on delivering consistent, high-quality care for patients and service users.
Building on this success, the Trust is now onboarding the Psychological Therapies workforce, demonstrating that the approach can scale across different professional groups. This expansion is expected to further improve workforce visibility, streamline planning, and strengthen operational efficiency across the organisation.
Key learnings for NHS organisations
BSMHFT's experience highlights several important factors for success.
Champions and clear guidance
Establishing local champions to support adoption and build engagement. Developing clear templates and supporting toolkits to create consistency and reduce ambiguity. Keeping communication simple and guidance clear to drive uptake.
Flexibility and conversation
Using job planning as a dynamic conversation tool, particularly where expectations differ from initial guidance. Embedding flexibility, allowing teams to adapt templates to reflect real-world roles and responsibilities.
Could job planning bring the same structure to your AHP workforce?
Tell us how your teams plan their time today and we'll walk you through what a deployment looks like inside your trust.