Half of NHS trusts in England lack funds earmarked to cover maternity leave
Physiotherapy services hit particularly hard compared with other areas of healthcare such as nursing Almost half of the NHS trusts in England have no earmarked funding to cover staff on maternity leave, according to analysis that raises fresh concerns about pressure on physiotherapy services. Freedom of information requests sent to the trusts across by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)…
Analysis by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has revealed that nearly half (49%) of NHS trusts in England lack the specific funding required to cover staff on maternity leave. This lack of earmarked funding has raised concerns about the strain on physiotherapy services. The CSP's investigation found that just 22% of trusts with maternity cover arrangements extended these provisions to physiotherapy staff, compared to 9% for nursing roles.
The CSP's director of practice and development, Ash James, expressed deep concern over the disparity, stating that when a physiotherapist goes on maternity leave, patients' treatment does not cease. Without adequate cover, already overwhelmed colleagues must absorb the additional workload, potentially resulting in increased waiting times for rehabilitation.
The issue is particularly pressing, as women constitute about 79% of the NHS physiotherapy workforce. James emphasized that physiotherapy teams are significantly less likely than nursing colleagues to have access to funding for maternity cover. The CSP is calling for trusts to ensure fair maternity cover arrangements across all clinical professions and for the government to lift recruitment freezes and invest in the physiotherapy workforce.
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