WP 12
Ymchwiliad i barodrwydd ar gyfer y gaeaf 2016
Inquiry into winter preparedness 2016/17
Ymateb gan: Cymdeithas Siartredig Ffisiotherapi
Response from: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
CSP Wales Office
1 Cathedral Road
Cardiff CF11 9SD
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Dear Chair and Committee Members
Inquiry into winter preparedness
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) in Wales is pleased to provide a written contribution to this review.
General introduction
Physiotherapists and their support staff working in the hospital and community environments will be affected by the winter pressures as demand for services increases at this time.
Physiotherapy has a role to play in terms of managing and treating patients with acute respiratory problems who may require respiratory physiotherapy but also in providing rehabilitation services in a hospital setting to help patients recover after illness or surgery and return home. In a community setting physiotherapists, as part of multi-disciplinary teams, work hard with patients to try and prevent admission to hospital.
Physiotherapy is therefore important with regard to the need for throughput of patients through the system, helping to release hospital beds as patients are discharged home and preventing admission to hospital from within the community.
Key points from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Feedback from members appears to be that in most areas the physiotherapy profession has been asked to provide a physiotherapy perspective within high level plans being worked upon by Health Boards during the summer months looking ahead to, and planning for, the winter pressures.
In one of the Health Boards, the manager reports that they regularly attend a series of winter readiness meetings each autumn and the profession is fairly integral to the local planning to ensure as a service physiotherapy is able to respond to any increase in demand and the profession is in no way slowing up patient discharge from hospital. In some cases, locum cover has been provided to ensure that physiotherapy services can be maintained.
Concluding comment
The CSP hopes the committee finds these points useful and looks forward to following the progress of the review. Please contact the CSP if you require further information.
Philippa Ford MBE MCSP
CSP Public Affairs and Policy Manager for Wales
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About the CSP and Physiotherapy
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK’s 54,530 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers. The CSP represents over 2,300 members in Wales.
Physiotherapists use manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and rehabilitative approaches to restore, maintain and improve movement and activity. Physiotherapists and their teams work with a wide range of population groups (including children, those of working age and older people); across sectors; and in hospital, community and workplace settings. Physiotherapists facilitate early intervention, support self management and promote independence, helping to prevent episodes of ill health and disability developing into chronic conditions.
Physiotherapy delivers high quality, innovative services in accessible, responsive and timely ways. It is founded on an increasingly strong evidence base, an evolving scope of practice, clinical leadership and person centred professionalism. As an adaptable, engaged workforce, physiotherapy teams have the skills to address healthcare priorities, meet individual needs and to develop and deliver services in clinically and cost-effective ways. With a focus on quality and productivity, physiotherapy puts meeting patient and population needs, optimising clinical outcomes and the patient experience at the centre of all it does.
Philippa Ford MBE MCSP
CSP Public Affairs and Policy Manager for Wales
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