Physio19: Celebrating and planning for success

The CSP’s annual conference, the UK’s largest and most important event dedicated to physiotherapy, opened on 1 November with a Founders’ Lecture presented by Melrose Stewart, physiotherapist and fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Speaking on her themes of celebration, challenges, and moving forward, Dr Stewart described her own professional journey and talked of her pride in her profession. ‘We can do amazing things,’ she told a packed auditorium.

She also expressed her disappointment in the current health and social care system, sharing a moving personal story about the lack of integrated care offered to her daughter following a serious illness, and implored audience members to take responsibility for the education of student physios, telling them, ‘Ask yourselves what part you’re playing in the succession planning.’

Around 1,300 delegates attended this year’s sold out conference at Birmingham’s ICC, which focused on four themes: the next generation, fit for work, managing complexity (including musculoskeletal), and innovation in rehabilitation. Conference activities were complemented by an exhibition and fringe activities.

These included a series of interviews on the CSP stand, which are now available to view on the society’s Facebook page.

The interviews feature speakers such as:

• support worker Emma Busby – discussing higher level support worker roles, and the benefits to patients and services in MSK settings
• Janet Thomas, lead physiotherapist at NHS Fife – talking about preparing students to manage complexity on placement
• Phil Hulse, therapies service manager, and Tom Sullivan, CSP policy manager for Northern Ireland, discussing the power of influencing and the success of First Contact Physiotherapy in Northern Ireland
• Heather Gray - explaining how physios can use cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to address patients' mental health.
• Anna Lowe, physical activity clinical champion for Public Health England, speaking with Elaine Wyllie, the founder of the Daily Mile, about getting children to be more active
• Vicki Goodwin, associate professor of ageing and rehabilitation at the University of Exeter - discussing the challenge of evidence-based practice
• Andrew Bennett and Stephanie Mansell, co-chairs of the UK Consultants group -  talking about the opportunities and challenges of consultant physio roles

Closing the two-day event, Beverley Harden of Health Education England and Neil Langridge presented a plenary titled We are all human, making the point that physiotherapy is all about seeing the human: in your patient, in your colleagues and in yourself.

CSP chief executive Karen Middleton rounded off Physiotherapy UK 2019 by inviting the audience of more than 1,000 delegates to take to their feet and jointly proclaim: ‘I will plan for success’.