Shaping the physiotherapy workplace

The CSP’s Annual Representative Conference in June saw members come together and discuss drivers for physiotherapy and professional issues within the workplace. As members of the National Group of Regional Stewards (NGRS) and Safety Representatives (NGRSR), we hosted a collaborative fringe meeting exploring these themes.  

Our fringe saw members from professional and regional networks, alongside stewards, safety reps and equality reps, share ideas on how we could build new connections and collective power.     

The fringe meeting started positively as we explored why physiotherapy staff go the extra mile in their roles and why  they remain in post despite widespread challenges across the healthcare sector. 

There was a clear and consistent theme in the room: we are motivated much more by our dedication to patient care and our relationships with colleagues, rather than by perks or pay. Attendees spoke of their ability to make a difference supporting patients, service users and colleagues - as well as solving and addressing issues in the workplace through trade union activity - as playing a huge part in them consistently performing their roles with enthusiasm, empathy, and delivering excellent care.  

Following this, we discussed our frustrations: identifying issues that negatively impact our roles and workplaces, as well as why people leave the healthcare sector altogether. These conversations revealed that the issues we face were widely felt across our different networks and roles. They highlighted that whilst we are motivated by our commitment to patients and colleagues, our workplaces cannot run on goodwill; we also deserve fair pay and conditions.   

Collaboration is key

It was noticeable that some of these key issues, such as staff shortages, a lack of resources and development opportunities, affected colleagues beyond physiotherapy. Our discussions showed the importance of shared experience, collaborative and innovative working with the wider multidisciplinary teams and sister trade unions. 

This also underscored that collaboration between our professional, regional, diversity networks and representative teams in the CSP is vital in creating an effective collective response to the changes to our growing profession.  

Also evident was the lack of awareness around the role of safety reps. Safety reps are elected by members in their workplace and work with members and management to ensure a safe environment. They play a central role in challenging detrimental changes to the workplace, such as loss of space, highlighting inappropriate office and IT equipment, and working on workplace stress and mental health campaigns. We finished the session by exploring how we could build upon the great discussions and debates across the conference and in our workplaces to shape physiotherapy, our professional community and our workplaces for the better. 

This part of the meeting highlighted the difficulties we face in sustaining grassroots activism. While we are great at generating positivity within the workplace and recognising challenges within our profession, we are less confident in knowing how to create an effective voice to resolve these challenges. 

One of the members aptly summarised this, saying: ‘I just didn’t know where to start’. Deeper discussions are needed – and this will be taken forward by NGRS and NGRSR as we strengthen our relationships with our professional and regional networks. Our professional issues are the same as our trade union issues; only by working together can we build the power necessary to shape our workplaces and professions. Summed up beautifully by one member: ‘Together we are stronger.’