Latest Blogs
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Pre-election blog: Private sector capacity and the NHS workforce crisis
The Conservative government has been pushing for more use of independent providers to provide NHS services for some time: NHS to expand use of private sector to tackle waits But this week Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting MP has been in the news for discussing the role of the private sector in NHS services . Whilst saying he would never privatise the NHS, he hit out at people who can afford to use private healthcare themselves but want to prevent the NHS using independent sector capacity to treat those who can’t afford to go private but are on long NHS waiting lists. The CSP -
May elections a milestone towards the general election
These blogs will update members on the forthcoming UK general election. We start with a look at the May local elections in England and Wales and why they should be important to physios, physio support workers and physio students. Why should you pay attention to the local elections? The local elections in England and Wales will be seen by the media as a referendum on the UK Conservative government. Expect to see the state of the NHS as a key topic of debate. The Conservatives will defend their record by pointing to record numbers of staff and spending. Labour and other opposition parties will -
Lawyers confirm competition law ban on negotiating insurance rates
Self-employed physios and small business owners have limited options when it comes to the fees insurers, or their intermediaries, are willing to pay. Most physios have to take what is on offer. There is no negotiation as the power in this market is entirely one sided. This is the real market abuse, not the prospect of physios seeking a fair deal from insurers. Seeking routes to change Many independent practitioner members want the CSP, as their union, to negotiate with insurers on their behalf, just as we do with employers. For many years we have advised this isn’t possible for legal reasons -
What do the speeches of the chancellor and the secretary of state for health mean for CSP members?
Progress on rehab? On Wednesday Stephen Barclay set out his vision for the NHS in England. He highlighted an earlier announcement of £500million to address delayed discharge. Access to rehab helps people out of hospital, prevents readmission and improves quality of life. In his comments he specifically suggested that local bodies can use this funding to pay for physios to support people at home. The CSP has long argued for better community rehab services, and the inclusion of this is a sign that we are having traction within NHS England. It is a success for us and a good step in the right -
Covid vaccination: a background briefing
Because Covid is a new disease, research and analysis of real world data are ongoing. Learning is therefore evolving. Even more than with other areas of medical science, there is therefore a need to make a judgement based on the best information available and to trust virologists, immunologists and public health clinicians when they give opinions. This briefing brings together information from multiple sources to explain our policy perspective on Covid vaccination. It is not a scientific review of evidence but uses readily available information to evidence four key CSP statements. Covid is a -
Ending the NHS market in England
Back in 2012 the CSP opposed the introduction of a competitive internal market into the English NHS. We were concerned about both the potential impact on services for patients from changing providers regularly and the potential impacts on members where tendering resulted in changes for them. However once the changes were made, many members said that they didn’t want constant change, so along with other unions and professional bodies we supported members to work within the system. Nearly a decade later the internal market systems has been shown to fail. In some areas contracts have been handed -
Autumn Budget 2021: a mixed bag
Budgets and spending reviews are rarely all good or all bad. Chancellors always try to do the illusionist’s trick of attracting attention to one element or another to divert attention from the less palatable decisions. This year the Chancellor tried to pull off the diversion in advance by selectively revealing elements of the Budget to the media. Health and care The Budget included extra health spending. As this was one of the areas pre-released, the CSP has already commented . But the detail yesterday revealed two major areas of concern: If it is enough to meet to meet Covid legacy and -
NHS staffing should be a 'culture war' free zone
A xenophobic headline , which the paper rather than the would be NHS CEO are responsible for, has ignited outrage. This lays right into the so-called 'culture war' between liberal internationalists and conservative nationalists. But in my view discussions on NHS workforce should not be turned into part of the culture war because that will drive decisions based on ideology, rather than what we need as a healthcare system. The NHS relies on colleagues from across the world, and has done for decades. They are a valued and essential part of the team Anyone who doesn’t recognise this, especially at -
A Covid-19 vaccine – let me have it!
Covid kills and Covid debilitates. So a vaccine is critically needed and I for one would be very happy to be vaccinated. The good news is that several likely candidates for effective vaccines are showing real signs of being able to protect people from the worst impacts of the virus. However, there is no evidence vaccines prevent transmission. They protected those vaccinated from the full effects of the disease. But we are some way from having the capability to mass vaccinate the whole UK population. Vaccines will have to be fully tested, evaluated as safe and effective and licensed. Although -
Full funding pledged for FCP roles in New GP contract in England
First, the good news. Full funding for all FCP posts – up from 70 per cent. This is very welcome. It removes what had emerged as a barrier to implementation in some areas. The extra money is also accompanied by an expansion in the number of posts in the wider primary care team. The target is now to have 26,000 non-GP staff by 2023/24. This is up from the previous goal of 20,000. It's a substantial commitment to ensuring patients can see the right professional at the right time. This expansion will come in part by including more professionals from the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme