Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance the Government has issued to local authorities on whether physiotherapy clinics that share premises with businesses that are not permitted to operate during the covid-19 lockdown should be required to close.
Answered by Paul Scully
Healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, can continue operating under the National Lockdown regulations. Where a clinic is based in premises that is required to close, for example a gym, it will be a commercial decision for the gym owner to decide whether the physiotherapists can continue to practice there.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help retain physiotherapists who have entered NHS employment temporarily from the private health sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the new funding package for healthcare students non-repayable, training grants of at least £5,000 per academic year are available to eligible new and continuing pre-registration physiotherapy students, studying at English universities. The indications are that the new financial support package has been a significant driver of demand and this year acceptances on physiotherapy courses have increased by 27% compared to the same time last year.
Health Education England is undertaking extensive allied health profession health careers work and is working with various stakeholders including the Office for Students and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to raise the profile of physiotherapy careers. A survey of former healthcare professionals who have joined the Health and Care Professions Council temporary registers, including physiotherapists, indicated that around 50% across were interested in continuing to work in the health and social care system.
There are existing return to practice schemes designed to support physiotherapists who have been out of the workforce for a number of years to safely re-start their careers.
NHS England is working with the Department and other local employing organisations to consider a range of flexible options to make it easier for professionals, including physiotherapists, who are interested in re-joining the NHS workforce to do so. Since 2017, NHS England and NHS Improvement have supported trusts with an intensive retention support programme, which is reducing retention by working with trusts to help them address the reasons that staff have left.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, is he will take steps with (a) schools and (b) local authorities to ensure that (i) physiotherapy and (ii) other additional support usually delivered in schools can continue to be delivered where it is safe to do so.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The COVID-19 outbreak has been extremely challenging for many families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). That is why we asked schools to stay open for vulnerable children, including those with an education, health and care plan, during the period of national lockdown. On 7 January 2021, we published guidance for schools on the current national lockdown, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.
We want these children and young people to continue to receive high-quality teaching and specialist professional support. The system of protective measures that schools have in place means that any risks associated with attendance are well managed. If a child does not attend, we expect the school to provide remote education.
Specialists, therapists, clinicians and other support staff for pupils with SEND should provide interventions as usual where this is reasonably necessary, including where this requires them to move between settings. On occasion, special schools may encounter circumstances where they cannot provide their usual interventions and provision at adequate staffing ratios, or with staff with vital specialist training. In these circumstances they should seek to resume as close as possible to the child of young person’s specified provision as soon as possible. Pupil level risk assessments, which were used last spring, should not be used to filter children and young people in or out of attendance, but could be helpful to prioritise the provision a child or young person can get if full time provision for all is not possible.
We will issue updated guidance and as part of this we will be providing more detailed advice and support for special schools.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to provide support to help private practitioner physiotherapists rebuild their businesses in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of business support measures to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period. This support package included measures such as the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. These measures were designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.
The Government has set out a plan for recovery that focusses on backing business, improving skills, and creating jobs. Further measures were also announced by the Chancellor that build on the significant support already available as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. This includes the extension of the CJRS until the end of March 2021, the increase of the third Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant from 55% to 80% of trading profits, the extension of the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes until 31 January 2021, and the introduction of Pay As You Grow measures, meaning businesses now have the option to repay their Bounce Back Loans over a period of up to ten years.
Businesses who also deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have the option to pay in smaller instalments up to the end of March 2022, interest free. Businesses will need to opt-in to the scheme, and for those who do, this means that their VAT liabilities due between 20 March and 30 June 2020 do not need to be paid in full until the end of March 2022.
Additionally, the Government has worked closely with Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive to develop our workplace guidance. Close-contact service providers can check what they need to do to keep people safe and to make their business COVID-secure on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services.
Businesses, including private practitioner physiotherapists, are also able to access tailored advice through our Freephone Business Support Helpline, online via the Business Support website or through their local Growth Hubs in England.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including soft tissue therapy in those medical practices permitted to continue operating during covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the provision of respiratory physiotherapy for (a) patients with covid-19, (b) patients with long-term symptoms related to covid-19 and (c) non covid-19 patients in the event that physiotherapists and physiotherapy support workers have to self-isolate on the basis of contact with covid-19 positive patients while wearing PPE.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Physiotherapists are established as a core part of the multi-disciplinary team treating patients with COVID-19. Through its communication to general practitioner practices and commissioners on 31 July 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement set out the requirement that general practice, community and optometry services should restore activity to usual levels where clinically appropriate, and reach out proactively to clinically vulnerable patients and those whose care may have been delayed. The communication also stated community health services should continue to support patients who have recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19 but need ongoing rehabilitation and other community health services. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s letter is available at the following link:
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons sports therapists' premises in England are required to close during the second national covid-19 lockdown while physiotherapists', chiropractors', osteopaths', sports rehabilitators' and podiatrists' premises are permitted to stay open during that lockdown.
Answered by Paul Scully
Massage therapists qualified to levels 1-3 are considered personal care service providers which are required to close under the national restrictions for England, but they can continue to sell retail goods online or via click-and-collect.
Massage therapists qualified to level 4-6 are classified as clinical practitioners. Further information regarding them can be sought from the Department for Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) beauty, (b) physiotherapy and (c) other businesses that operate from a person's home can continue to remain open and see clients under Tier 2 (High) covid-19 restrictions in Essex.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
New local alert levels announced on 12 October set out three tiers of restrictions that aim to control the chain of transmission in an area based on specific local circumstances. The Local Alert Level: High restrictions (tier 2) are primarily aimed at targeting household to household transmission by placing restrictions on indoor gatherings, which is recognised as a significant route of transmission.
Businesses based in a person’s home may remain open at this level, provided they follow COVID-secure guidance and are not subject to other closure rules, e.g. closure of hospitality venues between 10pm and 5am. Close contact services must also follow relevant guidance, including mandatory use of face coverings.
Further guidance is available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-high#business-and-venues
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the additional number of physiotherapists and physiotherapy support workers required to support people who have had covid-19 to rehabilitate.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recently announced that people suffering from longer term symptoms of COVID-19 will be offered specialist help at clinics across England.
A range of professionals, including physiotherapists, other specialists and general practitioners will all help assess, diagnose and treat thousands of sufferers who have reported ongoing symptoms. £10 million will be invested this year in additional local funding to help initiate and designate ‘long COVID-19’ clinics in every area across England, to complement existing primary, community and rehabilitation care.
As at May 2020 there are 2,548 (14.4%) more full-time equivalent (FTE) physiotherapists and 861 (23.7%) more FTE support staff to physiotherapists than in May 2015 to provide care to patients.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what differences were identified between physiotherapists and sport therapists which led to the Government issuing guidance for those businesses to reopen on separate dates as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
Close contact services – which includes sports and massage therapy – in England, except Leicester, were able to reopen from Monday 13 July, subject to them following the COVID-secure guidelines.