PHYSIOTHERAPY GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT

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 the recent 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, had 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.