NHS reforms could compound waiting list woes for patients, say physiotherapists

19 January 2011

The Government's massive restructuring of the health service is likely to drive up waiting lists at a time when they are already under pressure from a vacancy freeze in the NHS.

That is the warning coming from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) as the Government's Health Bill is published tomorrow. Research carried out last year by the CSP found physiotherapy managers are already seeing waiting times increase because when posts become vacant they remain unfilled to save money, and this leaves fewer staff to provide the services to patients.

Then a report last week by the Care Quality Commission identified major gaps in the provision of rehabilitation services for stroke patients across the country. This left thousands needlessly suffering and unable to regain their quality of life.

The concern is now that the disruption caused by the reforms, and their great cost - estimated at significantly beyond £1.7bn - will make matters worse.

Phil Gray, chief executive of the CSP, said: "We recognise the need to meet the efficiency savings challenge set for the NHS but feel to add such enormous reorganisation into the mix on top of that is reckless. This is also the view of the Health Select Committee report released today.

"Physiotherapists deliver absolutely essential services such as rehabilitation and the longer people have to wait for them the more likely their condition is to worsen.

"The consequence of that is the need for longer, more expensive courses of treatment, which only compounds the budgetary pressures already being faced.

"The Government simply has to apply the brake on these reforms."
The CSP was one of six health unions and professional bodies to sign a letter to The Times on Monday warning of the "potentially disastrous" consequences of the reforms.

In addition to fears over the speed and scale of the reforms, the letter warned that the introduction of price competition will seriously damage the quality of care for patients.

Ends

Notes to editors

See the text of the letter to The Times and more on the survey of NHS physiotherapy managers, conducted last year, on the CSP website

For further media information please call the CSP press office on 020 7306 1111. Out of hours please call Becca Bryant, head of press and PR (job-share) on 079172 40819, Debbie Broadhurst, head of press and PR (job-share), on 07786 332 197 or Jon Ryan, media and PR officer on 07917 091 200.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK's 50,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and assistants.