Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proposed number of physiotherapists provided for by the NHS Workforce Plan in (a) 2026-27, (b) 2031-32 and (c) 2036-37.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan models the workforce supply and demand for staff in different professions over a 15-year timeframe, and the resulting shortfall. The model suggests a shortfall between 0% and 5% for physiotherapists in 2036/37. Shortfall is not estimated for any other periods.

The Plan modelling aims to provide strategic insights to inform policy choices relating to education, training, recruitment and retention, rather than operational insights, targets or precise values. The National Audit Office (NAO) will carry out an independent assessment of the modelling behind the Plan. The NAO anticipates publishing their independent assessment in the first half of 2024.