Physiotherapy in the news - Covid-19 coverage

Physiotherapy staff across the UK are making an enormous contribution to the response to Covid-19.

These efforts are being widely reported through the media, with the CSP's press office securing coverage across national and regional print titles, TV news, radio programmes and online outlets.

Since lockdown began on 23 March, our media coverage has reached millions of people via stories in The Times, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, on Sky News, and in Grazia, amongst others.

Physios on the frontline

The media has rightly been interested in the huge contribution of our members on the frontline in fighting Covid-19. There have been features in the Guardian and on Sky News broadcast and online.

Wider contribution

We have promoted efforts to lobby the government and stakeholders on matters that affect our members. We gained extensive coverage of the CSP’s calls for improved personal protective equipment (PPE). This included national stories in the Independent, Daily Mail and Express, and featured in 12 major regional outlets such as ITV Anglia and The Northern Echo.

Last week, to counter the claims in a breathing exercise video tweeted by author JK Rowling, we secured coverage of our preferred techniques in the Mail on Sunday and in the Guardian.

Advice for the public

Our professional advice on being active is more important than ever and has been sought after by the media, with our members and spokespeople giving a range of interviews. Articles have included how older people can stay active in Which magazine, and tips for working from home in The Telegraph, The Times, and Elle and Grazia magazines. And this week, on Radio 4’s You and Yours we highlighted the importance of paediatric physiotherapy for children with SEN during lockdown. We have also been promoting our exercise content to help older people to stay active at home. This has been popular on Facebook with over 55,000 views over the past two weeks, and has now had 151,000 on YouTube.

We thank all those who have helped with media requests in the past month; we know you’re juggling both work and personal commitments and appreciate you giving up your time to help us achieve the above coverage.

As the pandemic continues, we will continue to raise the profile of the profession via the media and shine a light on the excellent work of our members during this challenging time.

Are you working on something newsworthy or want to share your Covid-related story? Contact the CSP press office.