Physio19: Celebrating and planning for success

A successful Physiotherapy UK 2019 ended with a joint commitment from more than 1,000 delegates to ‘plan for success’.

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Melrose Stewart, delivering this year's Founders’ Lecture

The CSP’s annual conference, the UK’s largest and most important event dedicated to physiotherapy, opened on 1 November with a Founders’ Lecture presented by Melrose Stewart, physiotherapist and fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Speaking on her themes of celebration, challenges, and moving forward, Dr Stewart described her own professional journey and talked of her pride in her profession. ‘We can do amazing things,’ she told a packed auditorium.

She also expressed her disappointment in the current health and social care system, sharing a moving personal story about the lack of integrated care offered to her daughter following a serious illness, and implored audience members to take responsibility for the education of student physios, telling them, ‘Ask yourselves what part you’re playing in the succession planning.’

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Delegates taking part in a fringe session

Around 1,300 delegates attended this year’s sold out conference at Birmingham’s ICC, which focused on four themes: the next generation, fit for work, managing complexity (including musculoskeletal), and innovation in rehabilitation. Conference activities were complemented by an exhibition and fringe activities.

These included a series of interviews on the CSP stand, which are now available to view on the society’s Facebook page.

The interviews feature speakers such as:

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Janet Thomas (right), lead physiotherapist at NHS Fife, taking part in an interview on the CSP stand

Closing the two-day event, Beverley Harden of Health Education England and Neil Langridge presented a plenary titled We are all human, making the point that physiotherapy is all about seeing the human: in your patient, in your colleagues and in yourself.

CSP chief executive Karen Middleton rounded off Physiotherapy UK 2019 by inviting the audience of more than 1,000 delegates to take to their feet and jointly proclaim: ‘I will plan for success’.

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