Membership benefits

Join the CSP - the joint professional, educational and trade union body for all staff delivering a physiotherapy service. Find out more about the benefits of joining the CSP:

 

Your trade union

The CSP, as a trade union, is the only exclusive union for people delivering physiotherapy services. It represents 40,000 physiotherapy staff, including assistants and students.

This means that only the CSP has the expertise, time and resources to safeguard your interests and give you the best representation.

The CSP has many years of experience dealing with concerns which affect you and your colleagues - collective issues like pay and conditions of service, or individual problems like grading, grievance or disciplinary and health and safety advice.

Other issues the Union covers include tackling stress or bullying at work, discrimination and dismissal. The CSP understands the problems you face and has someone who can help. Experienced full-time staff, working centrally and in each region, support local workplace stewards and health and safety representatives. There are an increasing number of assistants fulfilling these roles, who have access to the same support and training as their professional colleagues.

The CSP has lead and campaigned through negotiations to modernise the pay and grading system of the NHS (Agenda for Change) and achieved some key campaigning objectives for assistants.

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CSP as an educational body

The Learning and Development function will help you manage your lifelong learning at work. As part of the current continuing professional development (CPD) project, the department produces detailed guidelines on a wide range of educational topics and provides practical support to members on how best to benefit from the learning opportunities that exist. Of particular interest to assistant members is the guidance offered on National/Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQ): CPD17 Getting Started with N/SVQ what they are and how they work.

Additionally, assistants who have been in membership for more than two years are eligible to apply for funding from the CSP to support formal programmes of study eg: S/NVQ and Business and Technical Educational Council (BTEC) qualifications.

CSP as a professional body

The Member Networks and Relations function will advise on any clinical, managerial, ethical or legal matters, for example record keeping for assistants or what to do when a patient complains. The department produces advisory papers eg, PA6 Delegation of tasks for assistants. Assistant members also have access to assistant specific Rules of Professional Conduct and core and organisational standards for all physiotherapy staff, including assistants.

Discussions regarding state regulation of assistants are likely to result in proposals for registration. All assistants working in the NHS or the independent sector (voluntary and charitable sector), whether members or not, will be included in any regulatory process. The Society will ensure that CSP assistants are appropriately supported by the provision of information regarding assessment of lifelong learning and competence.

How your voice is heard

  • Assistants may represent members as stewards and health and safety representatives
  • Assistants have voting rights at Council and the Annual Representative Conference
  • Assistants have a national board, network and their own annual conference
  • Assistants are represented on all CSP Committees that form policy for members
  • Your own twice-yearly newsletter
  • Your own pages on this web site
  • interactiveCSP website
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You can make a difference in the CSP

  • You, the assistant member, elect stewards and safety representatives to represent you in the workplace
  • You can stand for election as a steward or safety representative
  • You can attend the Annual Representative Conference
  • You can work at a national level on the Council and committees of the CSP
  • Directly stand for election to the Physiotherapy Assistants Board

Other benefits of membership

  • A dedicated CSP assistants officer who can come and talk to you locally
  • Associate membership
  • Free copy of the fortnightly journal, Frontline and the monthly issues of the clinical journal Physiotherapy
  • Preferential rates for all types of personal insurance
  • CSP credit card
  • Members' Benevolent Fund
  • Legal problems outside work - road traffic accidents, drafting of wills and conveyancing etc (for members and their families) - preferential rates for accidents not on the road or at work
  • Support and advice from all functions within the Society includes Learning and Development, Employment Relations and Union Services, and Member Networks and Relations
  • Free legal support on workplace issues

Joining enquiries

Freepost:
Catherine Smith
Member Networks & Relations
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
FREEPOST LON 8963
London WC1R 4BR

or contact the Enquiry Handling Unit: 020 7306 6666.

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