§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many physiotherapists are currently employed in the National Health Service;
- (2) whether he plans to increase the numbers of physiotherapists currently employed by the National Health Service;
- (3) what is the total annual cost to the Government of the training of physiotherapists.
§ Mr. John PattenIn 1982, the latest year for which figures are available, the whole-time equivalent number of physiotherapists employed in the NHS in England was 7,478. The numbers employed have risen consistently for the past few years and on foreseeable trends they should continue to do so.
The cost of training physiotherapists in NHS schools is borne by the health authorities in which they are located. Some training is also undertaken in schools located in the further education sector. Information on costs in both cases is not available centrally.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the physiotherapists currently employed by the National Health Service are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
§ Mr. John PattenI shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.