As Alison stated the issue of Protection of Title is one on which the CSP has been campaigning for some time. This campaigning does seem to at last be about to bear fruit. The Health Act which was passed over a year ago allowed for changes to the statutory body known as the CPSM, and as part of these changes the protection of various titles was included. The actual changes will be brought about by a Government Order, the detail of which has been consulted upon over the last half a year at least. The parties involved in the consultation have included the professional bodies of the health professions covered by the CPSM, the CPSM themselves. It is believed that the final draft of the order will be published in March, although with a general election looming when the changes will come on the statute books is hard to say. However the government is setting up a shadow health professions council, the body which will replace the CPSM which will start its shadowing in the autumn.
Protection of title is unlikely to happen without some form of grandfathering.
Until physiotherapy is a protected title the CSP cannot do anything about individuals practicing as physiotherapists, only if they call themselves chartered physiotherapists. After physiotherapist is protected then it will be the health professions council which will take action.
One interesting point yet to be resolved is the issue of chartered physiotherapists who decide not to be state registered. In theory they may not be able to use the term physiotherapist.
Finally if you are a chartered physiotherapist, then you are the CSP, possibly only a small cog, but an important one. Any campaigns future, present or past rely on all levels of the society being involved in campaign, not just pointing at some anonymous bunch called the CSP.
Just my thought.
Regards
Grahame
Grahame Pope
Lecturer
Division of Physiotherapy Education
University of Nottingham
0115 8404878
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