Petition · Department of Health and Social Care

Support newly qualified physiotherapists: Review barriers to NHS jobs

Closed 902 signatures

What the petition asks

We think newly qualified physiotherapists are struggling to get NHS jobs due to experience requirements and internal-only adverts. Some apply for assistant roles or private jobs but may be rejected for being overqualified or lacking NHS experience. We want a review and better support into practice.
We think physiotherapy graduates deserve fair access to employment and experience. Some applying for assistant roles to get experience may be rejected for being overqualified. Even private jobs may ask for NHS experience. We think this leaves graduates stuck and unable to start their careers. We’re calling for a review of Band 5 recruitment and better support to help newly qualified physiotherapists enter the workforce. We believe roles should be made more accessible to external applicants without NHS experience.

Timeline

29 Jul 2025 Petition opened for signatures
29 Jan 2026 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 902
Status Closed
Department Department of Health and Social Care
Opened 29 Jul 2025
Closed 29 Jan 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 2 Aug 2026.