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The meeting was co-hosted by Professor The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (also President of the CSP) and Dr James Davies MP. There were many GPs in the group but also representatives from other professions, patient organisations, think tanks, central leadership organisations, and other professional bodies. I was invited as the Health Informatics Lead for the CSP in recognition of the work we are doing on using digital in physiotherapy as well as my role representing AHPs in digital health networks. In the meeting the key findings of the research study “ Remote by Default 2: the new normal?” were

More than 2.8 million people are currently unable to work due to ill health or impairment. While 22 per cent of working-age people were economically inactive in February, according to official figures. This is a big problem for those who want to work and for an economy short of labour post Brexit. So it isn’t surprising politicians are worried. It should be no surprise that ill health and impairment are the main reasons for the growth in worklessness given: The long-term impacts of physical and mental health issues during Covid-19 and due to ongoing Long Covid The health impacts of the cost of

Our NHS members continue to wait to hear what pay award they will receive for 2024/25, despite it being due in your pay packets this month - with the health services’ financial year running April – March. This is because the UK government was late submitting its remit letter to the pay review body (PRB) - which takes evidence from ministers, employers and trade unions before putting pay recommendations back to government. Remits for Wales and Northern Ireland were similarly delayed. Anticipated direct negotiations with the Scottish government are also stalled. Compounding those delays, the

The Conservative government has been pushing for more use of independent providers to provide NHS services for some time: NHS to expand use of private sector to tackle waits But this week Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting MP has been in the news for discussing the role of the private sector in NHS services. Whilst saying he would never privatise the NHS, he hit out at people who can afford to use private healthcare themselves but want to prevent the NHS using independent sector capacity to treat those who can’t afford to go private but are on long NHS waiting lists. The CSP

These blogs will update members on the forthcoming UK general election. We start with a look at the May local elections in England and Wales and why they should be important to physios, physio support workers and physio students. Why should you pay attention to the local elections? The local elections in England and Wales will be seen by the media as a referendum on the UK Conservative government. Expect to see the state of the NHS as a key topic of debate. The Conservatives will defend their record by pointing to record numbers of staff and spending. Labour and other opposition parties will

Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes that offer structured career development to individuals who can ‘earn as they learn’. For employers, they provide the potential to address workforce gaps or skills shortages through improving supply and retention, whilst also diversifying their workforce which benefits the populations they serve. We have seen recent growth in the number and type of apprenticeships that are available to support the development of our physiotherapy workforce, from support worker through to advanced practice level, reflecting the value placed upon apprenticeships

Winter is here. Or should I say, it never really left. Speak to many of the CSP’s members and they’ll attest that the NHS lives in an almost constant state of ‘winter pressures’. As I write, the system is braced for the already significant pressure to ratchet up a few more notches before Spring arrives. There’s the influx of winter flu, a rise in covid cases and not enough staff; it’s a heady mix and one that was only ever going to result in yet another winter crisis. Recent stories in the media show ambulances stacking up outside hospital, emergency departments on their highest escalation

The FDP is a platform that will sit across NHS trusts and integrated care systems, allowing them to compare, analyse, and share data across geographical, demographic and organisational boundaries. The announcement makes bold claims about the impact of the FDP on some of the long-term challenges experienced in healthcare. The benefit of a safe, efficient and inclusive way of sharing data would be an incredible advance for healthcare in England. Indeed, other countries have been working on it for a number of years already, with the Encompass programme in Northern Ireland, and the National

A year ago this month, we opened a formal ballot for industrial action for members in NHS Scotland. Since then, we have successfully secured mandates for industrial action in all four UK nations, despite some of the most stringent anti-union legislation in the world. Is your data 'strike ready'? One of the toughest challenges to run a legally secure industrial action campaign, is the requirement for unions to disclose accurate membership figures to employers at several stages of a strike campaign. To put us on our best footing for any future action – and to ensure we provide collective union

While we don’t know the exact date we’ll be going to the polls, we do know it must be before January 2025. The electoral clock, therefore, is ticking and it is vital that the CSP seizes this moment to influence and promote the value of physiotherapy. Party conferences give us the opportunity to engage with those currently in, and those hoping to be, in power in the years to come. It is for this reason that I and colleagues from the CSP will be attending party conferences across the UK this year. We know that it is better to be in the room and part of the debate, than watch from the sidelines