CSP Networks and Relations
(Note: Networks and Relations and Learning and Development are in the process of a review, coming together as a new Practice and Development function, with structural changes anticipated around July 2007.)
The Member Networks and Relations function includes professional and support staff who provide professional, service delivery and international advice. It also includes the team working on "Interactive CSP" to improve the Society's connectedness with its members at local level, to provide up to date infrastructures to support members working with members, and to facilitate the Society's awareness of issues of importance to members in the workplace. The function also leads on links with other Networks within the Society, including Clinical Interest Groups and Occupational Groups, and has a dedicated Assistants Officer leading on work with assistants.
The prime purpose of the function is to provide the lead for the Society to become more member focused and enable members to connect with one another around clinical and service delivery issues of importance to themselves.
The function provides a range of information and advice, including response to legal and ethical queries; international advice for both incoming and migrating therapists; professional advice - both clinical and service delivery; and support for member groups, including Boards and Branches.
CSP Learning and Development
The Society formallyapproves and monitors qualifying degree programmes in physiotherapy. On successful completion of such a programme a graduate gains 3 awards - the academic award of the degree and the professional award of eligibility for membership of the Chartered Society and eligibility for registration with the Health Professions Council, the regulatory body.tat We also support continuing professional development through post-registration and postgraduate education and research.
The Learning and Development function's role is to develop and promote high standards of physiotherapy education; research and development; and clinical effectiveness for its members; by influencing government policy and supporting, advising and guiding its members. Staff within the Function (through various networks and committee memberships) work with others to help shape government policy and implementation in these areas.
The Function is sub-divided into four Units, individuals within these units work collaboratively, both internally and externally to span the scope of work.
- Research and Clinical Effectiveness
- Library and Information Services
- Quality and Standards
- Continuing Professional Development
Research and Clinical Effectiveness
The unit's work has 3 themes: developing the physiotherapy knowledge base, providing access to and supporting the implementation of the knowledge:
- Developing the knowledge base: the aim is to support all members in undertaking research and increase the capacity of physiotherapy research. The unit administers physiotherapy research funded by the CSP's Charitable Trust (the Physiotherapy Research Foundation) and works strategically to influence external research funders and policy makers.
- Providing access to the knowledge: Effective dissemination is a key step towards successful evidence-based practice. The Unit produces and promotes a wide range of resources including clinical guidelines, audit packs, outcome measures and national standards for physiotherapy practice. It ensures that member's high quality research is presented at Congress.
- Implementation of the knowledge: this is the final step in the pathway to clinical effectiveness. The unit, in partnership with its members, develops practical tools and provides resources to support and guide the implementation of the best available evidence in all occupational roles.
The Unit works closely with the National Physiotherapy Research Network (NPRN), this network is funded by the CSP and aims to encourage and facilitate engagement in physiotherapy research nationally. Close collaborations also exist with a range of quality and standard Bodies in the UK, for example, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and with other professional groups, in particular other Allied Health Professions.
Library and Information Services (LIS)
The LIS is a UK bibliographic information resource for physiotherapy. Its main role is to provide a support service for CSP members who may have limited or no information resources locally. An extensive range of services are offered including carrying out and providing advice on literature searches; access to journals, books, theses/dissertations and documents; photocopying and obtaining articles from CSP stock as well as from other libraries and providing advice on the best sources to use to answer an enquiry. CSP Staff can also make full use of the services and resources.
Quality and Standards
This Unit undertakes work relating to qualifying and post-qualifying education and current regulatory change. It implements the CSP's responsibilities under its Royal Charter for approving and monitoring programmes leading to professional body membership and processes for endorsing CPD opportunities that carry academic credit. More broadly, it undertakes policy development initiatives and project work. It works closely with the CPD Unit.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
This Unit's key function is to enable and support all members of the Society i.e. Chartered Physiotherapists, students and assistants to undertake effective CPD. It does this by providing guidance and support services e.g. workshops, learning tools and funding for formal programmes. It is also working closely with colleagues in the Employment Services Function to lobby for the statutory right for terms and conditions of employment for individuals to have employer support in their CPD endeavours.
CSP Employment Relations and Union Services
The CSP is also the trade union for physiotherapists and assistants.
Staff in the Employment Relations & Union Services function represent members both individually and collectively at disciplinaries, grievances and in collective disputes with their employers. The function also provides extensive advice on employment matters to members working within the NHS and in private hospitals, sports clubs, voluntary organisations, private industry and any setting where CSP members work.
There is a team of senior negotiating officers based in Bedford Row and around the U.K. whose primary role is to provide advice, support and representation to members.
The function also has specific officers who cover specialist areas such as health and safety, legal issues, equal opportunities and training.
A dedicated team undertakes research into various employment related issues such as pay, motivation/morale of members, pensions, workforce modernisation and health & safety.
The function also represents members' employment interests to the Department of Health and devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Negotiations within the NHS on pay and terms and conditions are handled at a UK wide level through the NHS Staff Council. The Council was established as part of the Agenda for Change agreement reached by NHS trade unions, employers and Government in November 2004. Day to day work of ensuring successful implementation of Agenda for Change is dealt with by an Executive on which the CSP is represented.
Agenda for Change has swept away the old Whitley Council machinery set up when the NHS was established in 1948 and introduced a revised pay system to harmonise terms and conditions for all staff groups in the NHS.
The pay for CSP members continues to be considered by the Pay Review Body and ERUS staff are responsible for researching and preparing written and oral evidence to the Review Body.
The CSP has a network of stewards and safety representatives across the UK based in workplaces inside and outside the NHS. Training for these local representatives is provided by designated training staff, who run introductory courses for newly elected representatives as well as advanced training on issues such as contracts of employment, advanced negotiating skills, stress and violence at work.
The CSP is also actively involved in the TUC with a place on the TUC General Council. We send full delegations to all of the annual TUC conferences as well as the main TUC Congress.
CSP Communications and Marketing
This function has three roles. The first is to promote a positive image of the physiotherapy profession and the Society, raising awareness of the diverse work physiotherapists undertake.
This work is aimed not only at the media, but also government, opinion formers, other medical and paramedical professions and the general public, to name but a few.
The team's activities are wide-ranging and can cover anything from persuading a journalist on a national newspaper to write a story on physiotherapy, or briefing an MP on what the Society would like said in a parliamentary debate, to training members to deal with the media.
The staff are assisted in these tasks by branch and clinical interest group public relations officers who act as spokespersons for the profession, appearing on local radio and speaking to their local newspapers.
The second role is to promote effective communications between the Society and its members and potential members. This includes the work of the Business and Development Unit, in arranging the Society's Annual Congress, and organising a number of other conferences and seminars including the Annual Representative Conference (ARC). CSP Communications and Marketing is also responsible for the Society's quarterly professional journal, 'Physiotherapy', which contains research and clinical articles, and the function produces a twice-monthly publication, 'Frontline', which contains news items and regular features of interest to members. The New Media team have also recently completed rebuilding the Society's website, www.csp.org.uk.
The third role is to develop and implement the Society's marketing strategy, ensuring that the CSP develops the services that members need and potential members will find attractive, and maximising additional non-membership income for the Society.
The staff work in the following teams:
- Public Affairs (including policy officers and support staff in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- Press and Public Relations
- Publications and Design
- New Media
- Frontline
- Business Development
- Administration
CSP Finance, Facilities and Membership
This function is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the Chartered Society, the Members' Benevolent Fund, the Charitable Trust and also the CSP Pension scheme.
The core work of the finance team is to support the Society through ensuring the Society's continued financial strength. The finance team is also responsible for paying salaries and expenses. The facilities team provides an efficient and safe office environment. The membership team is responsible for processing member subscriptions.
The Chief Executive's Office
The Chief Executive's office is responsible for supervising and co-ordinating all decisions of Council and all reports submitted to Council from standing committees. It also has responsibility for the Regulatory Committee.
It includes the Human Resources team, who provide HR advice and support to the organisation, the team responsible for information technology (IT) requirements and the Society's Enquiry Handling Unit (EHU). The EHU deals with all first line enquiries to the Society and is a Unit with significant corporate responsibility.
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