Hurry up and publish a workforce plan and give the health sector a sustainable future, the CSP urges
Karen Middleton, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s (CSP) chief executive, has voiced her ‘dismay’ over the government’s failure to publish a workforce plan for the health sector on time.
She has co-signed a letter that was sent today (31 May) to prime minister Rishi Sunak after it emerged that the plan’s publication was being delayed. The Guardian reported on 29 May that the plan had widely been expected to be published by now and that a senior NHS figure had claimed the minsters had delayed an announcement due to concerns over the ‘significant investment’ that would be required to implement the recommendations.
'Damaging' repercussions
The CSP joined forces with 39 organisations representing the health professions, patients, NHS staff and NHS organisations in signing the letter, which laments the ‘continuing delays’ that are making a bad workforce situation even worse. The CSP appears to have coordinated the action, and the address of its headquarters in London appears at the top of the letter addressed to Mr Sunack.
'We urge you to act by publishing a sustainable plan immediately. None of your policy commitments on health can be achieved unless we address the chronic workforce shortage,’ the letter states.
‘Across all sectors, professions, specialities, condition pathways and services there are mass vacancies and insufficient numbers of staff to meet current, let alone future, population need. It will take time to resolve this situation, which is why the delay in acting to address the workforce crisis is so damaging.'
The letter adds that urgent action is needed to train and recruit more healthcare staff, and to retain those already serving the public.
‘Many of us have contributed to developing the workforce plan. We want it to succeed. We want to be able to welcome it if it provides the long term vision needed and clearly commitments to funded workforce expansion. Please act now.’
Across all sectors, professions, specialities, condition pathways and services there are mass vacancies and insufficient numbers of staff to meet current, let alone future, population need [Kaen Middleton and others]
Other signatories include Sue Brown from Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, Henry Gregg from Asthma & Lung UK, Phil Banfield, from the British Medical Association and Matthew Taylor from the NHS Confederation.
CSP director Rob Yeldham tweeted: 'The #workforceplan is over a year late. In a year we could have supported physios upskill for advanced roles, be half way through training additional MSc physios and have recruited and trained additional rehab support workers. That wouldn't solve the crisis but would be a start.'
Twitter: @RobYeldham
To see the letter in full, which is on CSP headed paper, click
Author: Ian A McMillan
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