After many physiotherapy placements were stopped during the pandemic, the CSP is highlighting the urgent need for restarting them to ensure current students can continue learning and graduate on time, and to help the profession avoid a workforce crisis.
The society is also promoting opportunities for members to influence placement provision.
The CSP is urging all members to contribute their views and ideas about physiotherapy placements to Health Education England’s (HEE) online workshop, which aims to generate insight about how clinical placements for AHPs can be improved -both now and in the future.
Anyone with an interest is encouraged to take part, whether they are students, higher education institutions, AHPs, and representative bodies across all countries and settings.
To register simply go to https://ahpplacements.clevertogether.com/welcome
The workshop is available 24 hours a day and is open until 7 July.
Financial support to provide placements
HEE has also this week announced the widening of its £10 million Clinical Placements Expansion Programme to include physiotherapy placements alongside funding for additional AHP and nursing placements.
It offers organisations in England the opportunity to bid for £50,000 of financial support to build placement capacity, help restore placement provision post Covid-19, and to grow our AHP workforce numbers.
Gill Rawlinson, CSP assistant director for practice and development, said: ‘I would urge all CSP members to think seriously about bidding for this funding.
'We need to think creatively and collaboratively across regions, organisations and professions to access this funding and to make placement growth a reality both in the NHS and third sector organisations.
Placements are a crucial part of the training of new physiotherapists – students cannot graduate without placements – and there is now an urgent need to provide more opportunities.
Be creative and flexible
Ms Rawlinson added that: 'We have all benefitted from the provision of placements in our own training and, as physiotherapy professionals, we are now in a unique position to give something back by providing opportunities for current students.
'We’re encouraging members to be creative and flexible wherever you practice. Chartered physiotherapists have a vast array of skills, knowledge and expertise that can be shared to support student learning, whatever the setting.
We’ve already seen some great innovation in telehealth and remote placements and those in non-patient facing roles.
'Placements can be provided across any area of practice, and a student role can be an integral part of any team adding value and skills
Submit your bid for placement expansion funding
The bidding window for placement expansion funding is open until Friday 17 July, 5pm.
You can find the relevant information here.
If you want help or support in bidding or understanding what is possible for physiotherapy placements please contact learninganddevelopment@csp.org.uk
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