Rheumatological/Musculoskeletal Conditions (Hansard, 17 May 2004)

§ Andy King
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and guidance is provided as part of the expert patients programme to patients with musculoskeletal conditions. [171932]

§ Miss Melanie Johnson
The expert patients programme (EPP) provides generic, lay-led, group based training for people in the self management of their long term condition. The programme is aimed at a wide range of people from different long term conditions and age groups, geographical location and ethnicity. The EPP is delivered locally by a network of trainers and volunteer tutors with long term conditions.
The EPP is a generic course and teaches five core self-management skills: problem solving; decision making; resource utilisation; developing effective partnerships with healthcare providers and taking action. The programme offers a tool-kit of fundamental techniques that patients can undertake to improve the quality of their life living with a long-term condition.
The course enables patients to develop their communication skills, manage their emotions, manage daily activities, interact with the healthcare system, find health resources, plan for the future, understand exercising and healthy eating, and manage fatigue, sleep, pain, anger and depression.
No specific medical advice is given to people with musculoskeletal conditions, the course aims to develop confidence and self control and does not concentrate on the physiological symptoms of the disease.

§ Andy King
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extended scope physiotherapists are working in the NHS; and what steps are being taken to increase this number. [171934]

§ Mr. Hutton
Information is not collected separately on the number of extended scope physiotherapists employed in the national health service. As at September 2003, there were 17,922 physiotherapists employed in the NHS, an increase of 3,679 or 26 per cent., since 1997.
The Government have implemented a range of measures to recruit more health care professionals, including physiotherapists. These include improving pay and conditions, encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer, increasing training, investing in child care and continuing professional development, attracting back returners and running national and international recruitment campaigns.