Chartered Physiotherapists in Mental Health

Join us Thursday September 15th from 9am- 2pm for our CPMH Study Day on Trauma Focused Physiotherapy, featuring an international line up of speakers!

Free for all CPMH members

£25 for non-CPMH members

CPMH AGM to follow from 2-4pm free for all members to attend.

We need insight from physiotherapists across every specialism to help improve physiotherapy services for people experiencing mental illness. Please fill out this survey:

https://t.co/f2wyJIy9jy

Physiotherapeutic input included in new Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders (MEED) recognition and management guidance.

We are currently conducting a study, funded by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists Charitable Trust, investigating physiotherapist’s attitudes and perceptions towards working with patients with a mental health diagnosis. 

As part of the study physiotherapists, across all specialisms, will be invited to complete a short online survey consisting of demographic information, the 16-item Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes Scale (MICA-4) questionnaire and open/closed questions derived within the research team. Participants will also have the option to ‘opt in’ to the second stage of the study in which we will seek to expand upon the findings in stage 1 through 1-1 interviews qualitatively exploring experiences and perceptions around working with patients with mental health illness.  

This project aims to identify recommendations to improve access and experience of physiotherapy for patients with mental health diagnosis and to identify strategies of supporting and increasing therapist confidence working with this population. Participation in both components of this project is entirely voluntary. 

We are keen to obtain insights of physiotherapists from all specialisms and would be most grateful if you would cascade the information below within your special interest group network. 

Additionally, if you could please respond to this email with your approval to share and the number of physiotherapists within your special interest network we would be very grateful. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Kind Regards,

Laura Hemmings

School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences 

University of Birmingham 

Email: L.Hemmings@bham.ac.uk

Twitter: @laurahemmingsPT

The NHS Long Term Plan describes Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) as playing a central role in person-centred care to help meet the changing demands the NHS is facing. Across NHS mental health services in England, an estimated 27,000 (WTE) new mental health posts will be needed to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions.

HEE has recently published a new infographic to demonstrate to employers and workforce planners how AHPs, which are the third-largest workforce in the NHS, can make a unique contribution to mental health services. It also explains how AHPs can be deployed into mental health settings to lead health promotion, provide early intervention, deliver expert rehabilitation, tackle health inequalities and support recovery.

The infographic, co-designed with the AHP Mental Health and Learning Disability Observatory, shows how patients, service users and families can benefit from the holistic AHP support for their health and care needs.

The resource explaining the AHP offer in learning disability settings will launch in the coming months. To find out more, visit the AHPs mental health webpage.

Dr Brendon Stubbs, Head of Physiotherapy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and Research Lead for the CPMH, has been awarded a five year National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellowship of £916,000. Through this award he will undertake valuable research on the identification and management of persistent pain in people with severe mental illness (SMI).

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