Physiotherapists (Hansard, 27 January 2000)

§ Mr. Denham

The national recruitment, retention and vacancy survey published in September 1999 gave us the latest authoritative data on staff vacancies from 98 per cent. of National Health Service trusts. It shows that only 3.3 per cent. of physiotherapist posts have been vacant for three months or more in England.

We are ensuring that effective recruitment and retention policies are in place to make the best use of trained staff and that training levels are sufficient to get a better match between supply and demand.

We are taking a number of steps which will help to address the issue of recruitment and retention of physiotherapists. These include the publication of the framework for the management of human resources for the whole of the NHS, "Working Together: securing a quality workforce for the NHS", which sets targets for local employers to improve recruitment and retention year on year. We have issued guidance to the service on improving working lives and we will shortly be issuing guidance on Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development.

We are also modernising services and modernising employment practice in the NHS: developing more supportive, flexible and family friendly working practices; extending and improving investment in lifelong learning and professional development; tackling violence and racism in the workplace; involving staff in the way services are delivered and in the changes and developments that affect their working lives.

We have accepted in full the pay increases recommended by the Pay Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (including physiotherapist) for 2000–01. The Review Body has recommended an across the board increase of 3.4 per cent. for 2000–01 and for the second year running these increases will be paid in full without 336W staging. Taken together with last year's award, this means that physiotherapists will have received real-terms increases of over 5 per cent., the best settlement for over ten years. Some targeted key groups of staff have received substantially larger awards: last year, newly qualified basic grade physiotherapists received pay increases worth 8.4 per cent.; this year, about 4,500 experienced Senior II physiotherapists will receive increases worth between 8.1 per cent. and 8.4 per cent.