Latest Blogs

Attending Pride Cymru was a meaningful and affirming experience for me, both personally and professionally. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Pride Cymru provided an opportunity to celebrate diversity, visibility, and inclusion while standing in solidarity with others who continue to advocate for equality and human rights. I work as a physiotherapist within the Orthopaedic Department at Llandough Hospital and I'm also an equality rep for the CSP. These roles have strengthened my understanding of the importance of creating inclusive environments where everyone feels respected, valued, and

1976 was a fairly momentous year for the physiotherapy profession. It was the year the CSP became a trade union. And, in Belfast, at the Ulster College, it was the beginning of another transformation. In 1976, the Northern Ireland School of Physiotherapy launched the first-ever undergraduate degree in physiotherapy. Prior to this, physiotherapy training was delivered through diploma or certificate programmes, often rooted in hospitals or training colleges. These routes produced highly skilled clinicians, but the introduction of degree-level education marked a fundamental shift. As

Gazing at the Shrewsbury hills through the train window, I tried to concentrate on writing and re-writing my ‘speech’ to congress, as for some reason I had volunteered to speak against a motion calling out racism. I have never been to ARC, I had never spoke against a motion, I have never been in front of a large crowd trying to argue against a very popular point of view, and as the trees slipped by, I reflected on why had this even happened. I hadn’t been a steward long and apart from training and meetings I had yet to be called upon to represent an individual. But I had become increasingly

If you are a physiotherapy leader looking at neighbourhood health and wondering where to start – or how to step into a more strategic role – you are not alone. Across the country, we are all hearing the same direction of travel. Care is moving into communities. Services are being organised around neighbourhoods. There is a growing emphasis on prevention, population health and working differently with partners. But when you scratch beneath the surface, it is clear that this is still evolving. There is no single model. No neat blueprint. And that can feel uncomfortable. From where I sit, though

Neighbourhood health isn’t coming – it’s already happening. Across England, integrated care boards have developed neighbourhood health strategic plans, assessed the maturity of their Places to deliver the strategy, are identifying payment mechanisms which will enable flexible delivery of neighbourhood health and are shifting decision-making about how care may be organised and around which local populations mapped to Place Provider Partnerships. This shift is being shaped by NHSE's neighbourhood health framework, alongside local system priorities. While structures will differ from place to

Today’s Kings’ Speech was the annual chance for the UK government to set out its plans for the coming year. The centerpiece is always a list of new legislation being introduced to parliament. Looking at the lists, there are only limited ways in which the government’s plans directly impact physios, support workers and physio students. NHS in England The expected NHS Modernisation Bill was announced today. There has been a lot of speculation about the bill in light of talk that the health secretary, Wes Streeting MP, might resign and challenge the prime minister for his job. Even if that happens

MPs in Westminster will have the opportunity to discuss the contribution of AHPs on Thursday 23 April, led by Dr Peter Prinsley MP and supported by Sonia Kumar MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on AHPs. This is a key opportunity to raise the profile of the contribution of physiotherapy among decision makers. Use the template email below to invite your MP to attend the debate. Please edit it before you send it! You could include information about the impact your services has on local population health, or any issues or barriers you are experiencing locally. You can find out who

For me and my partner, being a lesbian couple in education and on placement isn’t just about being ‘out’, it’s about constantly weighing up whether it feels safe to be. There’s often a small pause before one of us says something as simple as ‘my partner’ or uses ‘she’ in conversation. It’s rarely a big, deliberate decision, more a quick internal evaluation: who’s around, what’s the environment like, and is it worth correcting assumptions. It’s something we’ve both become used to, almost without realising. Even at university, around other students, it doesn’t always feel as comfortable as

In these politically uncertain times, it can sometimes be tricky to navigate life as a trans person, particularly in healthcare. As a student, I have seen that physiotherapy is built on good communication, and understanding the journey that patients take before coming to us fosters our ability to engage them in their own wellbeing. But it doesn’t always happen that way. My experiences as a transgender patient have been frustrating at times. I have had blood tests denied, my sexual history unnecessarily probed, and I have been waiting for five years for an initial appointment at a Gender

Research by Teesside University physiotherapy graduates has been showcased in a special exhibition in the Houses of Parliament, hosted by the University of Warwick. Max Hardingham and Gracie McLoughlin presented the research they carried out whilst studying for a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy degree in the University's School of Health and Sciences. Max and Gracie travelled to Westminster in February to present their research to parliamentarians and policy makers. Max, now studying an MSc in strength and conditioning at Loughborough University, presented research examining the links between blood