On 12 March, the CSP Wales team headed to Llandudno for the 2022 Welsh Labour conference, with the goal of flying the flag for physiotherapy and the right to rehab.
CSP staff met with senior politicians including the first minister and minister for health and social services, highlighting the work of CSP members and the importance of rehab.
The key influencing event for the CSP was a joint 'NHS Confederation manifesto marketplace' event with other professions and charities, where members of Parliament and the Senedd would drop by and talk to organisations about their priorities. This annual conference had been cancelled for two years due to the pandemic and politicians were eager to be briefed on health policies that impact on their constituencies.
CSP public affairs and policy manager for Wales, Calum Higgins said: 'Meeting the first minister Mark Drakeford, and Eluned Morgan the minister for health, gave us the opportunity to talk about physiotherapy in the pandemic and beyond. We discussed the right to rehab being key to NHS recovery and the need for continued investment in the workforce.
'Being a former health minister himself, the first minister was quick to discuss the importance of the wider NHS workforce in both secondary and primary care."
On his meeting with the minister for health and social services Eluned Morgan, Mr Higgins said:
'The minister met with us in the NHS confederation event, and we discussed the right to rehab and the role of physiotherapy in keeping the population healthy. We have a further meeting with her planned next month which will cover our key policy areas in full.'
The CSP will also have a presence at the Plaid Cymru and Welsh Conservative spring conferences in the coming weeks.
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