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 help expand the size of the physiotherapy workforce.

As of July 2022, there were 21,838 full-time equivalent physiotherapists working in National Health Service hospital trusts and commissioning bodies in England. This is an increase of 3.2% since July 2021.

The Government has made a non-repayable training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year available to all physiotherapy students, in addition to those studying nursing, midwifery or any other allied health profession course, with further financial support available to students for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel. In 2021, 2,730 students were accepted onto a physiotherapy course in universities in England, compared to 2,145 acceptances in 2019. Health Education England also offers a physiotherapy apprenticeship pathway, providing an 'earn as you learn' route to a physiotherapy career in the NHS.