Practice

Practice issues concerning Professional Liability Insurance (PLI), Manual Handling and Clinical Roles are currently covered on this page.

Professional liability insurance (PLI)

Revised details of the PLI scheme available to CSP members can now be found in the PDF document 'Members' Professional and Public Liability Insurance Scheme': view the publication record.

Do physiotherapy students in the UK require professional liability insurance (PLI)?   Students, Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and placement providers can find advice from Graybrook in the guidance document Physiotherapy students and individualised insurance cover for practice-based learning.

Manual Handling

The issue of manual handling for Chartered physiotherapists has always been complex. Chartered physiotherapists routinely handle patients as part of the assessment and treatment process. They teach others how to handle patients as safely as possible as part of the ongoing rehabilitation programme for the patient. They formally teach other professions and act as back care advisers and tutors. Chartered physiotherapists also see the results of poor manual handling activities in the form of a range of musculo-skeletal injuries to various staff, including physiotherapy colleagues.

Following the introduction of Health and Safety Legislation in 1974, where the issue of manual handling was targetted, physiotherapists have been obliged by law to ensure that they undertake manual handling practices which are as safe as possible in order to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of those they are instructing, delegating to or advising and also that of patients.

For further information, please refer to CSP publication: 'Guidance in Manual Handling for Chartered Physiotherapists'.

Clinical Roles

• Extended Scope Practitioners: CSP information paper PA 29, 'Chartered Physiotherapists working as Extended Scope Practitioners'
  Please also see the Extended Scope Practitioner's (ESP) page on this website.
• Clinical Specialists: see CSP information paper PA 23, 'Specialisms and Specialists: guidance for developing the clinical specialist role'.
• Consultants: CSP information paper PA 56, 'Physiotherapy consultant (NHS) : role, attributes and guidance for establishing posts'.