Speaker Biography
Beverley Harden
Beverley Harden is the Deputy Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England, National Lead for multi-professional Advanced and Consultant Practice for NHS England’s Workforce, Training and Education Directorate. Beverley was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Years Honours list for services to healthcare and is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Since 2018 she has led work in her current role across England to enable employers to realise the full workforce potential of the 15 Allied Health Professions, secure and grow the future workforce and develop the skilled allied health support, assistant practitioner, and technician workforce.
Beverley also leads the national Multi-professional Advancing Practice programme, establishing the Centre for Advancing Practice to bring together clinical and education experts from across professions to develop educational and career pathways for enhanced, advanced and consultant level practice. This is enabling more highly skilled staff to pursue more inclusive clinical career opportunities as advanced and consultant practitioners.
With extensive senior NHS leadership experience, Beverley has managed a variety of large multi-professional cross healthcare services and led Trust Education Services. She has led complex service and workforce transformation across systems and as part of the national NHS England New Models of Care team. Beverley has worked as an Allied Health Professions Lead for over a decade across regional and national portfolios.
As a Physiotherapist she worked as an expert clinician in critical care and with patients with chronic respiratory failure requiring home ventilation and rehabilitation to optimise person centred quality of life outcomes. Beverley has volunteered extensively across the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, most notably in establishing safe and effective national on call standards and guidance.
As a Visiting Professor at the University of Winchester, she continues her research activity and is committed to the development of education and training to optimise workforce capability across the workforce. Outside of the NHS Beverley is a Board Trustee for Carers UK and, as a carer herself, is a passionate advocate for unpaid carers across the UK.
