Physiotherapy Graduate Unemployment

EDM number 2589 in 2005-06, proposed by Andrew Lansley on 17/07/2006.

That this House is deeply concerned that many of this year's physiotherapy graduates will not have jobs to go to if NHS trusts continue to operate a vacancy freeze as a means to address deficits; notes a new survey from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, which indicates that nine out of 10 of this year's 2,529 physiotherapy graduates, trained at a cost of £73 million to the taxpayer, have no NHS job to go to this summer; believes that graduates must consolidate their education in junior posts or else their skills will deteriorate and the time and money invested in their training will go to waste; further believes that freezing junior physiotherapy recruitment will hamper efforts to expand rehabilitation services, stand in the way of implementing the National Service Framework on Long-term Conditions, and increase waiting times for patients; and therefore calls on the Government urgently to address the jobs crisis among physiotherapy graduates.

This motion has been signed by a total of 57 MPs.