Strike Back with People Before Profit

Derry City and Strabane District councillor and NHS physiotherapist, Maeve O’Neill, has described the Department of Health’s proposed cuts to training places at Ulster University degree courses in physiotherapy as “absolutely disgraceful”.

Speaking to Derry Now, Ms O’Neill said she worked in Altnagelvin which was currently experiencing vacancies of 12% for physiotherapists’ posts.

She added: “So, we can’t fill the current posts we have with the physiotherapists that are coming through, yet, inexplicably, the Department of Health is planning to cut the number of training places. 

“A lot of work has been done, over a long period of time, to address this workforce shortage. That is why it was so welcome that physiotherapy training places were coming to Magee and there was a plan to gradually increase the number of those places over the years, to actually address the workforce imbalance.

“But these cuts are now completely counter to all that and it feels like all of the work which was done to identify the need was wasted.

“It is the same with nursing places. There is a real need for nurses and there is a real need for physios and these decisions are being made with complete disregard for the need that exists,” said Maeve O’Neill.

According to Cllr O’Neill the current waiting lists for musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy are “far too long”.

She added: “They are also trying to develop MSK physios as first contact practitioners to take pressure off GPs. So, at the same time as they are developing those roles, the Department of Health cuts are going to make that so much more difficult. 

“The other role that physios have, which is what I do, is around hospital work. This includes facilitating and supporting discharges; preventing people from having falls, in hospital or when they go home; and supporting rehab, whether it is an inpatient unit or on a community basis.

“Physios also provide acute respiratory care for people. That is where our priority goes because that is so important. However, it means other things will be left behind when it comes to actually supporting rehab and preventing falls. That is the bigger picture of these cuts.

“Physios enable people to live well for longer, to have a better quality of life. Cutting physiotherapy posts does not save money, it just produces poor health outcomes and puts more stress on the NHS from increased falls and poor cardiovascular and respiratory health. It is  a wrong decision from the Department of Health.

“What the Department of Health needs to be looking at to save money is bringing all those things that have been privatised back into public control,” said Cllr O’Neill.