Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the delivery of increased numbers of physiotherapists as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

As part of the new funding package for healthcare students non-repayable, training grants of at least £5,000 per academic year are available to eligible new and continuing pre-registration physiotherapy students, studying at English universities. The indications are that the new financial support package has been a significant driver of demand and this year acceptances on physiotherapy courses have increased by 27% compared to the same time last year.

Health Education England is undertaking extensive allied health profession health careers work and is working with various stakeholders including the Office for Students and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to raise the profile of physiotherapy careers. A survey of former healthcare professionals who have joined the Health and Care Professions Council temporary registers, including physiotherapists, indicated that around 50% across were interested in continuing to work in the health and social care system.

There are existing return to practice schemes designed to support physiotherapists who have been out of the workforce for a number of years to safely re-start their careers.

NHS England is working with the Department and other local employing organisations to consider a range of flexible options to make it easier for professionals, including physiotherapists, who are interested in re-joining the NHS workforce to do so. Since 2017, NHS England and NHS Improvement have supported trusts with an intensive retention support programme, which is reducing retention by working with trusts to help them address the reasons that staff have left.