For those of you working in England, the review of the Five Year Forward View, three years in, offers enormous potential opportunities, says Lynn Eaton.
The question is whether others share that vision.
Simon Stevens’ report mentions keeping older people out of hospital and, if they do have a hospital stay, getting them home sooner. And with GP numbers declining, it recognises the challenges ahead for primary care.
So it’s disappointing that the only specific reference to physiotherapy is about increasing the number of direct referrals for patients with back pain. In fact, the word physiotherapy appears only once in the entire report. To save you time, it’s on page 48 and here’s the link.
Faced with no extra cash, has Mr Stevens missed a trick? We know, for example, that physio staff can help prevent hospital admissions, and speed up discharge when appropriate?
Dip into this issue of Frontline and you’ll see how much physiotherapists contribute to healthcare delivery. From handling sports injuries in the top leagues of football, through to delivering specialist care for people spinal injuries. And we’re not just about England. On page 12 we report on the annual conference of the CSP in Scotland.
On page 15 you’ll find out how you can help get the physiotherapy message out in the elections taking place in many parts of the UK next month.
So as the long bank holiday weekend starts, find some time to reflect, relax and, of course, savour what’s in Frontline!
- Lynn Eaton managing editor Frontline and head of CSP member communications eatonl@csp.org.uk
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Lynn Eaton managing editor Frontline and head of CSP member communicationsNumber of subscribers: 2
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