Ministerial encouragement for student loan repayment campaign

The campaign to get the Government to write off the student loans of allied health professionals (AHPs) in an attempt to tackle the NHS recruitment and retention crisis received ministerial encouragement today.

Addressing the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's Annual Representative Conference (ARC) in Birmingham, health minister John Hutton highlighted Government recognition of the growing recruitment and retention crisis in physiotherapy, saying: 'There are still severe staff shortages across the NHS for physiotherapy. Vacancy rates are rising as vacancy rates for nursing are falling. This is a very serious issue and we've got to work together to address it.'

Asked if he would back the idea of paying off student loans for AHPs in exchange for five years service to the NHS, he said: 'I wouldn't want to rule it out if it secures the buoyancy of the profession.'

He added that he would welcome a dialogue with students and would be pleased for a delegation of students to meet with him and discuss the issues.

Helen Russell, CSP student officer and campaign co-ordinator, said: 'It is very heartening to receive such early encouragement for the campaign. With the average physiotherapy student qualifying with a debt of 8,000 GBP, we will definitely be taking the minister up on his offer to talk to us about it.'

The loan repayment campaign is being launched to at an ARC fringe meeting today. Speakers are Lynne Jones, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, Faz Velmi, member of the National Union of Students executive committee, Mike Philips of NASUWT, and Ross Edgar, chair of the CSP's student executive committee.

Other AHPs supporting the campaign include radiographers, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.

Ends

Media information:

The student loan repayment campaign launch takes place at 6.30pm today (16 May) in the Henley Room at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham.

For further information, or to attend the fringe meeting, please call Raquel Simpson or Jennie Edmondson on 07786 332 198/7.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educational and trade union body for the country's 40,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and assistants.