CSP gives evidence on physiotherapy in primary care to Scottish parliament

Over the summer, the health and sport committee launched an inquiry into the future of primary care.

CSP professional adviser for Scotland Sara Conroy gave evidence for the CSP, alongside the Allied Health Professions Federation, the Royal College of Occupational Therapy and the British Dietetic Association.

Ms Conroy spoke in favour of the transformative agenda to extend the multidisciplinary approach to provision, through first contact practitioners in GP practices, and also in recognising that a great deal of primary care is delivered outside of the general medical contract.

Some of the points covered during the meeting were:

• Scotland needs services to be person centred – not medical model centred – we need primary care service that are more like those of AHPs
• Scotland needs cultural change around the beliefs and attitudes toward AHP services, including within the health sector, among decision makers, the media and service users
• Scotland needs to invest to raise awareness of AHP services among the general public – and this must be done in a communication inclusive way
• Scotland needs ‘AHP informed’ leadership, decision making and investment – nationally and on health boards and integrated joint boards
• Scotland needs an AHP workforce plan, which recognises; set outs and invests in actions to address common and specific allied health profession workforce issues
• Scotland needs a 'whole system' approach – in which primary care services need to integrate and collaborate with the multidisciplinary teams, often multi-agency working, and across impacts from acute care through to social care and third sector. Investment must invest in the whole NHS community based capacity and activity
• AHPs need better access to transformative technology, particularly in community settings

The health and sport committee will be taking further evidence from stakeholders, culminating in evidence from the cabinet secretary for health on 5 November.

Watch the full evidence session