Jobs shortage for physiotherapists
Daily Mail Health News - 00:24am 28th November 2005

Millions of pounds of taxpayers money is being wasted as newly trained physiotherapists are forced to find work in shops because they cannot find NHS jobs, it is claimed.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said that six months after completing their degrees, 53% of physiotherapy graduates in the UK were still seeking their first NHS junior job.

A survey of 1,523 graduates found that 805 have still not secured their first post in physiotherapy.

The CSP said this group's training cost the taxpayer more than £23 million - at around £28,580 per person.

As they hunt for an elusive post, many have been forced to take work in supermarkets, shops and banks to make ends meet.

CSP chief executive Phil Gray said: "After months of competing with hundreds of others for just a handful of junior posts, many graduates have had to put their physiotherapy aspirations on the backburner.

"We know of first-class graduates who are working in Tesco and Topshop just to make ends meet.

"One's joined the circus, while others are working in factories to raise money for Christmas." Mr Gray said that the bleak situation was not a by-product of having trained too many physios.

He went on: "The society first highlighted the plight of 2005 graduates this summer - when it became apparent that the agencies responsible for workforce planning hadn't made sufficient provision for the growing number of qualified physiotherapists.

"A planned expansion of the workforce was agreed by the Government to help meet increasing patient demand and achieve the 18-week target on waiting times, but too much emphasis on creating senior jobs has led to a huge shortage of junior posts being available."

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