Physiotherapy continued to feature prominently in the media in January and February.
At the beginning of January, CSP director Ash James, submitted a letter to The Times in response to news about a shortage of stroke consultants.
Our data shows that community stroke services are operating with 25 per cent fewer physiotherapists than national guidance requires, while acute stroke teams are 15 per cent understaffed. As a result, many patients are denied the rehabilitation required to reduce disability.
Also in January, Health Service Journal reported that physiotherapy staffing cuts and recruitment freezes in the NHS are leading to longer waiting times.
The article states that eight in 10 NHS physiotherapists have reported they do not have enough staff to meet demand, up by 10 percentage points since 2024.
On the impact on patients, Ash James was quoted as saying ‘their pain is getting worse, [and] we are getting poorer health outcomes because of those longer waits.’
In February, CSP spokesperson and ACPOHE (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics) member, Paul Shawcross, was interviewed by the Times for an article on the importance of mobility training.
Someone who can touch their toes easily displays good hamstring flexibility,’ Shawcross says. ‘But the same person might struggle to squat or to walk downstairs without difficulty, which suggests limited mobility.
CSP spokesperson Lucy Macdonald spoke to Press Association for an in depth article offering advice on strengthening for people as they age. The article ran across numerous news sites.
Strength training is also really good for bone density because whenever you contract a muscle with force, that muscle, via a tendon, will pull on the bone, and that pulling on the bone is good for bone regeneration. So, it’s good to do a combination of impact exercise and strength training.
With the government announcement that NHS workers are to receive a 3.3 per cent pay rise from April, the CSP provided comment to a number of outlets, including the Daily Mail, the Independent and the Daily Express.
CSP’s Jim Fahie, said:
It is less than last year's award and lower than the current rate of inflation, so is a real-terms pay cut and makes absolutely no ground on restoration. This comes at a time when our members are working ever harder due to chronic staff shortages and huge waiting lists.
With New Year interest in fitness and training, the CSP was approached for comment for numerous articles. CSP spokesperson, Uzo Ehiogu, offered advice on weightlifting for a Times article. And Ash James also contributed to another Times article on avoiding injury.
In a Times article regarding lack of support for survivors of knife crime, CSP’s Sara Hazzard is quoted about lack of access to NHS rehab.
Care is often excellent on the NHS when rehab is acute, in the immediate aftermath of an injury or a stroke. “There’s that cliff edge when they go home,” she said. “That’s because it’s an absolute postcode lottery.” and that long-term treatment is often picked up by charities.
And finally, Ash James was interviewed on LBC radio in response to reports that hip and knee replacement surgeries have been cancelled.
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