Most physio graduates out of work

Most physiotherapy graduates have struggled to get a job this year due to NHS cutbacks, industry leaders say. A Chartered Society of Physiotherapy poll found that seven out of every 10 physios who graduated in 2006 had not yet found a job. The society said if this group does not find employment it will mean £40m of taxpayers money will have been wasted on training them.

The government said it was aware of the problem and looking to remedy it.

Over 2,300 physios graduated this year after spending three years training. The survey - which interviewed 854 former students - found that 68% were still not working as physiotherapists and had been forced to accept jobs in bars, shops and warehouses to make ends meet. Last year's equivalent figures were 50%.

Catherine Webb, 26, from London, qualified from Essex University in September and has already applied for seven NHS jobs but has not even had an interview. "I am now working at Innocent Drinks, which makes smoothies, as an admin assistant, but it is not what I spent all those years studying for. I have booked a flight to Canada in February to see if I have any joy there."

The society said the government and NHS employers signalled in 2001 that more physios were needed, so training places were expanded. But the positions were no longer there as NHS trusts have embarked on a year of cuts in a bid to break even.

Society chief executive Phil Gray said: "To have a trained workforce sat idle to save the NHS money when they ought to be at the heart of the health service helping patients is totally unacceptable. A government commitment to ensuring that this year's physio graduates have work, ideally a guaranteed year of employment, would be a good step towards resolving this problem."

Statistics show that one in nine people who were admitted to hospital last year were in for conditions, such as arthritis and head, back and bone injuries, that needed some form of physiotherapy.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We are aware that newly-qualified physiotherapists are facing much more competition in finding their first job than in the recent past and people may have to be prepared to be mobile to secure a post. At present, we are working with the society and NHS Employers to support NHS trusts analyse their local situation, develop plans and take action to recruit the physiotherapy staff they need to deliver services."