Written question WQ83183

It is the responsibility for each health board to provide services to meet the needs of their local populations, which includes physiotherapy rehabilitation services. I expect health boards to work with partners to ensure people have access to those services which have been defined as essential by the World Health Organisation. As we begin to re-set and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, health services must now plan and increasingly deliver more routine services. To support this, in March Welsh Government published Health and Social Care in Wales – COVID-19: Looking Forward which sets out the high level the approach we will take, building on new ways of working and opportunities to do things differently.

Health boards, local authority and third sector partners, are using the Welsh Government’s National Rehabilitation Framework and underpinning rehabilitation guidance to plan the rehabilitation services to respond to the needs of their populations.

NHS physiotherapy services have continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, although the way they are providing care and support may be different, which continues to be a matter for local decision. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), including physiotherapists, have worked together in multi-professional teams, adopting new digital ways of working, to deliver the highest quality of care and improve health outcomes.

Due to the continued prevalence of COVID-19 and the risks associated with transmission and exposure, decisions whether to see a patient face-to-face continue to be based on an assessment of a patient’s clinical needs and whether services can be delivered safely and without compromising the safety of patients and staff. As part of this assessment, health boards are expected to explore alternative ways of delivering physiotherapy services, such as phone and video consultation and deploy these where appropriate whilst also planning and restoring the provision of treatment space for services provided if necessary.

In June 2021 as part of the Adferiad programme, I announced an additional £5 million investment for health boards to develop primary and community services to support those with Long COVID, as well as other individuals who have additional needs as a result of the impacts of the pandemic.