ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The 72nd Annual General Meeting of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy was held at Blackpool on September 19, 1991, in the Pavilion Theatre, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Baroness Robson, president of the Society, was in the chair and about 200 members attended.

WELCOMING members, Lady Robson referred to the changing times and great events wh ich physiotherapists were experiencing.

The World Congress in London the previous month had been a great success and no country in the world could now be unaware of what a thriving Society the CSP was. The fact that physiotherapy was seen as less of an exact science widened the opportunities of all members.

Apologies were received from Susan Adams, Helen Shaffner, Amanda Strawson and Ruth Wood.

The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed without comment and signed as a true record - as Lady Robson observed, on the palindromic date of 19.9.1991.

Annual Report The chairman of Council, Joyce Wise,

proposed adoption of the Annual Report. She referred to the account of progress during the first half of the year given in the printed report (enclosed in the May issue of Physiotherapy). She looked back on her t w o years as chairman and urged members t o work together and take pride in their profession.

Mrs Wise drew attention to the rapid change to degree courses, in all but two schools of physiotherapy, and the high proportion of courses validated for honours degrees, as a notable success for the profession and its educators.

Another area of significant advance was in standards and quality assurance. Mrs Wise thanked Judy Mead, who had provided a strong impetus for the development of standards of practice not only by the Society centrally, but also by its Specific Interest Groups, during her three years on the Society's staff. Mrs Wise said that these standards formed an essential quality assurance tool for the profession.

'On the related, though separate field of clinical audit, the profession was included in a multi-disciplinary study funded by the Department of Health, to look at audit arrangements in the four larger therapeutic professions of c l in ical psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. The report identified a number of ways in which audit in these professions could be taken forward.' Mrs Wise added that the Society had achieved a place at the negotiating table and would be meeting representatives of the Department of Health on September 25.

The chairman referred to the WCPT Congress which had been successful professionally and socially. 'The number of papers presented shows how active the profession is in research and development, and this augurs well for our future.' She regretted that the numbers attending were lower than anticipated and hoped for, but believed everyone who was there benefited considerably from the experience.

Mrs Wise then turned to t w o areas which

were seen as major threats to the long-term well-being of the profession. The first was the arrangements introduced by the Govern- ment over the past year for the funding of physiotherapy education. Working Paper 10 proposed that funding of courses for professional education in the Health Service should be devolved to Regional Health Authorities, but that there would be a degree of national overview to ensure effective co-ordination between them.

'It is of considerable concern that we have found an apparent lack of willingness to deliver this national overview from the Department of Health, and we have seen no evidence that the number of physiotherapy places wil l be expanded to meet the needs of patients over the coming years; indeed there may even be a small net reduction,' said Mrs Wise.

'Only t w o years ago, the Department of Health agreed that an expansion of 150 places was required, and yet it has done nothing to ensure the implementation of this agreement. The effects will be felt by patients in the decades to come and you may rest assured that we shall continue to press the Department to take a more positive stance towards training the number of physiotherapists that the country actually needs. If the present Government, or future Governments, are not prepared to be more positive, then future generations of patients will not forgive them.'

The second major area of concern was the effect of the changes in the National Health Service. In principle, the move towards clearer specification by purchasers of the health care they wish to see delivered in their area, and separation from the role of provider, need pose no problem for a profession delivering services that are so highly valued and needed.

But the fragmentation of the service, particularly into provider units which only employ a very few physiotherapists, had been an issue of very considerable concern. While some physiotherapy managers had been able to secure arrangements which enabled them to ensure that they operated across a sufficiently broad compass, others had found that the service had been divided up in a way that put at risk the professional quality of services, and thus patient care.

Mrs Wise said she had in mind the ability of senior physiotherapists to advise on the best use of scarce staff and on major developments in treatment philosophies; to organise rotations; and to encourage and motivate staff to act as committed professionals.

'I am not saying that no one from any other profession cannot do some of these; but we firmly believe that only a senior physiotherapy manager can provide the overall combined skills that are needed to lead the most effective physiotherapy teams.'

The chairman mentioned the longer- standing problem of gross under-funding for

the Health Service. She deplored the great efforts necessary in members' leisure time in order to raise money for equipment. This was greeted with applause.

Mrs Wise commended the Government's discussion document 'The Health of the Nation' as a bold new approach to preventive health care. The Society had established a small group to formulate a response.

However, many of the Government's health campaigns were aimed at young people, while physiotherapists could also offer a great deal of advice and help to older age groups.

'So why shouldn't the Government promote sport and exercise for elderly people, the value of movement for ageing joints and the dangers of putting your feet up once you pack up work?'

Some of the Society's worst fears about the effects of the introduction of NHS Trusts had so far been avoided, largely because of the dedicated efforts of stewards and full- time officers. However, the dangers had not gone away. Mrs Wise urged colleagues to support their stewards whenever necessary.

She paid tribute to Phillip Gray, who served the Society as its first director of industrial relations for over 12 years, and to Carol Bailey who contributed a fresh approach and many new ideas during the six months she was with the CSP. She welcomed David Fleming as the new director and wished him well.

Mrs Wise looked forward to the re-launch of the Journal in the New Year, wi th ttfe newly-appointed scientific editor, Dr Anrte Parry.

She also anticipated registration for PACE, the new continuing education structure. 'This breaks new waters because it will include academic recognition for experiential learning as well as more conventional courses.

'This will become an essential element in every Chartered physiotherapist's personal and professional development. Those employers who will not provide time off and funding for PACE activities may find themselves devoid of applicants for vacancies; while physiotherapists who cannot be bothered w i th it may find themselves short of job interviews.

'The development of the Society's structures is something I am very proud of having made a contribution towards,' said Mrs Wise. 'This conference itself is relatively new . . . It is your conference for you to shape.

'An important part of the democratic structure is member involvement in major decisions. That is why Council regularly consults you on key issues. The t w o you are considering in Boards, Branches and Specific Interest Groups at the moment are both vital for your Society's future. The structure of Council may appear at first sight a somewhat esoteric issue but it dictates who acts on your behalf. Even though relatively few members bother to

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vote in Council elections - and this year's were no exception - I do hope that all of you will contribute to the debate on how you vote for Council and whether you want a different sort of Council.

'The TUC debate is an important one for us. The discussion document sets it out. While we have been here before and may be again in the future, it is equally essential that all members use the democratic structures of the Society to tell Council what they think. That means attending the Branch meetings which will debate the issue locally and sending in comments. If i t comes to a ballot, I look forward to a healthy debate on the subject reflected in strong letters to your Journal, good attendance at Branch meetings and so on. I don't want to see the whingers come out when it is all over.

'But there is an extra and new dimension to the Branches which makes it imperative that members do attend. In the new NHS climate, which some people have described as a climate of fear, staff have hppn warned about speaking publicly on cEtS 'esourcen and other sensitive issues. In these circumstances, our Branches are effectively safe havens for members. You can speak freely and openly at Branch meetings in an environment in which you set the rules.

'To rewrite John Kennedy's dictum: "Ask not what your Society can do for you; ask yourselves what you can do for your Society".'

Mrs Wise referred to the growing numbers of leaflets available about CSP activities and hoped they would help to keep members well informed.

There had also been a programme of conferences and workshops to help members with current issues - on business plans, marketing, community care, staffing levels, resource management, Trusts, legal issues, people w i th disabilities, wheelchair provision and so on. The following week would see the first such workshop on presentation skills, for which there was an increasing need.

collective failure to promote ourselves as effectively as we might. There is a culture in our profession that blowing our own trumpets in not the done thing. Well if we don't do it, nobody will do i t for us. Each one of us has a responsibility to promote Chartered physiotherapy.'

Mrs Wise ended by looking forward to the centenary of the Society in 1994 as its next big venture. ' I am very proud of what the Chartered Society is doing to serve its members and support the profession. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I propose the adoption of the Annual Report of Cou nc i I .'

This proposal was seconded by Mr Ian Rutherford, principal of Nottingham School of Physiotherapy, and passed unanimously.

Balance Sheet and Accounts The chairman of the Policy and Resources

Committee, Mrs Patricia Phillips, said that the year ending December 31, 1990, had been very satisfactory. Membership had increased and i i c s v p f rom annual wnscriptions had beer, tligher than ever before.

The Journal had once again produced a useful financial surplus despite increased production costs.

The income thus derived was spent on industrial relations work for members outside as well as inside the National Health Service, on education, on professional affairs and on public relations.

The WCPT Congress would probably incur a financial loss, but not so great as to cause problems.

She hoped that the Society would be able to keep its subscription rates low in order to attract members, so that income could continue to exceed expenditure.

Helen Bristow, physiotherapy courses officer w i th South East Thames Regional Health Authority, seconded the adoption of the balance sheet and accounts and these were adopted.

'I have been very conscious of our Officers o f the Society with the new Fellows

Appointment of Auditors Mrs Phillips proposed the reappointment

of the Society's auditors, Kidson Impey, chartered accountants, for 1991192. the motion was seconded by Miss Bristow and carried.

MBF Committee Marian Morrison, a senior physiotherapist

from Durham and treasurer of the Northum- berland Branch, proposed the appointment of members to the Members' Benevolent Fund Committee for 1991192. She spoke about the valuable work of the committee and the possibility that any members of any age or situation might find themselves in circumstances where they could need to turn to the committee for help.

The following people were appointed to the committee: Miss M E Darley, Mrs K Delpak, Dr M E Edwards, Miss P M Grasty, Miss E Holloway, Miss A C Pennefather, Mr M W Perry and Miss J W Robbens.

Barbara White, District physiotherapy manager fork. Health Autnority, seconded the proposal which was carried.

Council Election Results The Secretary, Toby Simon, announced

the results of the recent elections to the Society's Council, as published in the September issue of Physiotherapy (see also page 7711.

Conclusion A vote of thanks to the chairman of

Council was moved by Eileen Thornton. Miss Thornton commented on the fact that the chairmanship of the Council had been a particularly difficult job over the past t w o years, in times of such great change, and said that the Society had been extremely well led by Mrs Wise, who had provided direction, vision, clear thinking and humour. Sincere thanks were offered for her vast contribution in terms of time and effort.

This was endorsed by prolonged applause.

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