Half of NHS trusts in England lack funds earmarked to cover maternity leave

Almost half of the NHS trusts in England have no earmarked funding to cover staff on maternity leave, according to analysis that raises fresh concerns about pressure on physiotherapy services.

Freedom of information requests sent to the trusts across by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) found that 49% had neither a dedicated budget nor a policy to permit overspending to pay for maternity cover.

Where funding does exist, the analysis revealed that physiotherapy appears to be treated less favourably than other areas of healthcare. More than one in five trusts (22%) said their maternity cover arrangements did not extend to physiotherapy staff, compared with only 9% for nursing posts.

The CSP said failing to plan for maternity leave risked leaving overstretched teams to shoulder the same workload with fewer people, meaning patients waiting longer for treatment and rehabilitation. The findings are also especially stark given that women make up about 79% of the NHS physiotherapy workforce.

The CSP’s director of practice and development, Ash James, said it was deeply concerning that physiotherapy teams were significantly less likely than their nursing colleagues to have access to funding for maternity.

“When a physiotherapist goes on maternity leave, the patients needing treatment don’t disappear. Without cover, already overstretched colleagues are left trying to absorb the workload, potentially leaving patients waiting longer for the rehabilitation they need,” he said.

“This is happening against a backdrop of recruitment freezes, disappearing posts and growing demand for care. It is yet another example of physiotherapy services being stretched beyond their capacity.

“Trusts must ensure maternity cover arrangements are available fairly across clinical professions, while the government must urgently lift recruitment freezes and invest in the physiotherapy workforce.”

The analysis follows earlier research suggesting that stroke patients and others who need intensive physiotherapy are receiving poorer care because hospitals lack adequate space and equipment.

That research found four out of 10 NHS physiotherapy staff had lost, or expected to lose, dedicated rehabilitation space. In a survey of more than 2,000 members by the CSP, six out of 10 also said their rooms had been taken over by other clinical teams, with some blaming a lack of funding or managers who did not prioritise their work.

The body is also calling for equal access to maternity cover funding across NHS professions, as well as urgent action on recruitment freezes and staff shortages in physiotherapy.

The chair of the Patients’ Association, Alastair Henderson, said the gaps in cover had direct consequences for patients. “When services are already stretched, losing staff without adequate replacement can mean longer waits for treatment and rehabilitation, less access to specialist expertise and greater pressure on remaining teams,” he said.

“Patients should not have to wait longer or miss out on the care they need because the NHS has failed to plan for or cannot afford to cover predictable staff absences.”