NHS staffing levels

The current situation

Worries about staffing levels are growing among CSP members. Eighty per cent of CSP members working in the NHS in our latest member survey say they are concerned or very concerned that the number of physios and support staff are insufficient to meet patient needs in their service.  

The proportion of all respondents experiencing some form of recruitment freeze has increased steadily, rising from 38 per cent to 51 per cent in the last quarterly survey of 2025.  

Among NHS respondents, the share experiencing any recruitment freeze rose more sharply, from 39 per cent to 65 per cent, with approximately one in six members reporting that clinical recruitment is totally paused in their organisation. Clinical recruitment is partially paused at their organisation for more than one in three NHS members.  

We know from you telling us separately that posts are being deleted, maternity cover left unfilled and temporary contracts not renewed.  

The lack of staff mean patients are waiting longer, receiving less treatment, and experiencing worsening pain and ill health. MSK waiting lists are over 400,000 and continue to rise rapidly. Most people who have had a stroke are not receiving anything like the amount of physiotherapy recommended in the national stroke guidance.  

The impact on you as staff is considerable: additional workloads are causing unacceptable stress levels, many staff are feeling pressure to work additional hours over and above their contractual obligations, work-life balance is negatively impacted, and time needed for service improvement, training and development becomes impossible. 

What we are doing

You and your colleagues are not alone. CSP staff are supporting teams to challenge freezes locally and making the case nationally. 

Over the past six months, the CSP has taken sustained and practical action to influence graduate employment and workforce investment. 

We have successfully lobbied for safe and effective staffing guidance for AHPs, using the opening created by member strike action in 2024. This is now in development for NHS organisations in England and will be an important lever for improving workforce planning and recruitment. 

We have submitted evidence to the 10 Year Workforce Plan, including oral evidence to the health and care select committee, explicitly raising the impact of recruitment freezes and vacancy controls on physiotherapy graduates. 

The CSP has consistently made the case for investment in the physiotherapy workforce, positioning the strong supply of physiotherapists as an opportunity to accelerate delivery of the three shifts set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England. 

To support this, we have commissioned independent economic analysis demonstrating the system-wide value of physiotherapy and shared this with key decision-makers and members to influence local investment decisions. 

Alongside national lobbying, we have taken action to support graduates. We launched the CSP Graduate Support Package, already accessed by hundreds of graduates, and delivered monthly graduate-focused events and webinars since last September. 

We have also written to the secretary of state with the AHP Federation and actively monitored workforce conditions across the devolved nations to ensure coordinated, UK-wide action.  

We are also planning actions to empower you to campaign locally: developing practical resources to use to have informed, constructive conversations locally about recruitment and capacity. These tools will be designed to help you raise concerns in a professional, evidence-based way that is focused on patient care. 

What you can do now

This crisis is unnecessary and solvable. The workforce exists. Investing in physiotherapy pays for itself. Together we can start to turn this around. 

The information you have already provided has been powerful evidence that we have used effectively nationally. CSP members can take action locally to challenge understaffing. So...  

• Discuss with colleagues and your local CSP rep and start to develop a plan to protect your patients, your health and your work rights. We have a resource for tips on discussing staffing with your manager.
• Contact your CSP localism team to access support and advice.
• Email staffinglevels@csp.org.uk if you have had any success in addressing staffing levels or you feel they are becoming unsafe in your trust/board.