THE CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
Council Paper – Annex 1
A BREAKDOWN OF THE COMMENTS FROM THE EVALUATION FORMS
1 Is this your first Assistants Conference you have attended?
said yes
28
2 How many Assistants Conference have you attended over the last
12 years?
2nd
7
3rd
2
4th
4
5th
3
6th
3
7th
-
8th
-
9th
-
10th
1
11th
1
12th
2
Thirty-three delegates said they preferred a single day conference.
Ten said they prefer two days.
3
CONFERENCE CONTENT
Question 1 – The Conference
Ex
How did you find conference overall?
Enabled production discussion/sharing
Covered the right issues
Useful to you in your job
2
Conference Pack
Time management of the day
1
Good Av
21
30
Poor
-
14
33
5
14
30
6
19
30
2
22
29
1
9
28
13
SESSIONS
Key Note Speaker
(Karen Middleton)
Content – Informative
Ex
28
Good Av
25
1
Poor
-
Speaker – Subject knowledge
Speaker – Audience engagement
22
31
24
21
6
0
1
-
Comments
 Excellent information! Would have been good to really focus on
areas pertinent to us assistants and Technical Instructors!
 Set a good context for rest of day.
 A little hurried.
 Voice flat.
 Karen is a joy to listen to.
 Too much photography!!
 Good taster.
 Clear explanation of her involvement in the quality journey and I
will definitely print off the synopsis of the Darzi report and put it
up on the PA information board tomorrow at work. Karen put
across a very clear message about impending change in the health
service and the importance of being flexible and responsive to
change. I really enjoyed her presentation.
 Very valid as I am in an AHP team - oncology and palliative care.
Patients treated holistically better outcome.
 Rushed - time factor?
 Very good public speaker, straightforward
WORKSHOPS
THE MANAGEMENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF PAIN – Aled Williams
38 delegates attended this session.
Ex
Content – Informative
Speaker – Subject knowledge
Speaker – Audience engagement
27
Good Av
29
6
29
4
5
1
Poor
1
-
-
Comments
 Session should have been longer, really enjoyable speaker on
topic.
 Maybe I am bias; we were treated like adults, able to understand
complex issues!
 Very good interesting speaker. Very informative. Best workshop I
attended.
 Can see how to consider pain management talk with my patients.
Very, very interesting.
 Excellent presentation.
 11 out of 10 (on a par with Fran!)
 Well presented.
 Good visual explanation of subject.
 Very interesting and to see how it would work.
 Very interesting, useful and humorous.
2

The most amazing presentation! He spoke with humour,
confidence and a complete understanding of the topic. His passion
came straight across to the audience. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
THE GYM BALL – Kent Fryth
26 delegates attended this session (limited space)
Ex
Content – Informative
Speaker – Subject knowledge
Speaker – Audience engagement
20
Good Av
19
20
1
Poor
2
1
-
-
-
Comments
 Interactive workshops are always very good when relevant to job.
 Very good. Will try to get a course at our hospital!
 Going to book myself on a course. What a great session – given me
great ideas to take back to therapy sessions.
 Time was limited.
 Very enjoyable, hoping to run a course in N. Ireland. Very
beneficial and informative.
 Enjoyed it a lot. Hoping to get instructor over to N. Ireland to do a
course for us. Very beneficial.
 Will try to book onto a course.
COMBINED WORKSHOP:
POLICTY AND POLITIC – Gary Robjent and
THE ASSISTANT PRACTIONER– Deb Matthewson
Content – Informative
Speaker – Subject knowledge
Speaker – Audience engagement
Ex
Good Av
38
31
35
12
19
19
6
Poor
6
3
1
-
Comments
 Not sure I would be happy as Band 5 with so much responsibility!!!
 Made us feel valued and vitally instrumental in the wider picture and new
challenges. How inspirational. Debbie you are one amazing lady! Good
luck on your career path wherever it takes you.
 Stimulating and motivating session. She can be a role model to others in
career progression.
 It was nice to hear about how she became an AP but felt another topic
would have been more appropriate and interesting.
 Perhaps it would have been helpful to have more than one speaker to
cover the more tradition role of AP, as there appeared to be a large
element of OT in the speaker’s role. It was a session less about AP and
more about Deb specifically.
3









Deb’s role sounds very interesting but I question whether you could call it
a developed PA role, it seemed too specialised and again I was confused
about the initial assessment and discharge Deb was involved in, certainly
in the department I work in PA’s would not be involved initial assessment
or discharge. The talk gave rise to a lot of questions from the audience.
Polity and Politics was brief but reinforced elements of Karen Middleton’s
talk.
Excellent communication skills! Very clear about keeping within
boundaries.
Policy ranked average for content, knowledge and audience engagement.
Leant much about this role. Many questions – well answered.
AP truly rewarding.
Very surprised at the role of AP. Would not work in my Trust (NI).
Very surprised at AP role. I don’t think it would work in all trusts (NI).
Quite surprised at the content of role of AP. Seemed like too much
workload to not have a qualification behind it!!
The role of the AP, Deb Matthewson was very interesting and informative.
THE PATIENTS VOICE – Gillian Jordan
This session was attended by 38 delegates
Ex
Content – Informative
Speaker – Subject knowledge
Speaker – Audience engagement
26
Good Av
27
6
30
3
5 2
Poor
-
-
Comments
 Gillian was brilliant and charismatic making the workshop
interesting and enjoyable.
 Entertaining! Really of benefit to remind us of the many faux pas
and how to avoid them. Also the aspects of patient vulnerability
and thinking re un- dressing and privacy etc.
 Excellent presentation. She made dull topic very interesting.
Personal experience story made session interesting.
 Excellent speaker, true professional.
 It was informative and thought provoking and useful that the
patient’s role was also one of a professionals experience as a
patient.
 I think this is a subject all physiotherapy assistants can relate to.
We spend time with the patients and we have the opportunity to
improve a patient’s lot every treatment session.
 A very well presented workshop.
 Excellent! Informative with humour thrown in 10 out of 10.
 Very clear and concise. Good examples.
 Very enjoyable stories and interesting.
 Very interesting and enjoyable to see from patients side, will take
back to workplace all the patient said and inform staff members.
 Funny lady, nice stories really enjoyed listening
4


Lovely lady, humorous, what you need at the end of a long day.
Thank you
Lots of things brought up on the subject to think about.
THE 18 WEEK PROGRAMME – Sarah Bazin OBE
This session was attended by 22 delegates
Ex
Content – Informative
Speaker – Subject Knowledge
Speaker –Audience engagement
7
Good Av
9
2
10
1
3
1
Poor
-
-
Comments
 A ‘Welshman’ trying to understand the English topics!
 Well presented workshop.
 Clear explanation.
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT CONFERENCE CONTENT
 Overall the conference was very well organised and enjoyable. I
enjoy more interactive sessions and learning more about
improving my knowledge.
 Interesting and informative. Great for networking.
 Gym ball session excellent.
 Very good content, very interesting.
 Good range of topics – found some a bit rushed. Two days were
better, more opportunities to network!
 Excellent, really useful to my practice and inspirational. So many
of the speakers clearly ‘live’ their profession and give
encouragement.
 Excellent, productive, informative, useful.
 Very good.
 I enjoyed the choice of content.
 Excellent day. Good to have some clinical sessions.
 Good and informative.
 I like Friday conferences.
 Generally very good but occasional presentations were rushed.
 Thoroughly enjoyable – especially gym ball and patients voice.
 Very informative a very pleasurable conference.
 Very informative and excellent at providing advice and
information.
 Very good. More interesting topics today. Enjoyed practical class
with gym ball.
 Question time needs looking at; ? still appropriate, too many staff.
5






















A full agenda, a lot to get through in one day.
I enjoyed all that I was involved in especially the gym ball.
A good conference – a very full programme timing was a factory.
Well organised and refreshments/lunch were very good. Good
audience participation.
Once again very good. Many thanks to all organisers.
Good day.
Enjoyed the subject and choice of workshops.
Speakers all very good. Good variety.
Enjoyed the workshops. Found the workshop on gym ball
enjoyable and interesting. Patients voice also very good.
Very informative, enjoyed workshops especially gym ball and
patients voice.
My first conference, which I found worthwhile attending.
Relevant topics covered.
Good, enjoyed attending.
Good content.
Well organised, helpful and approachable speakers.
Didn’t think enough information relevant to paediatrics.
Very welcoming, relaxed and appropriate to our service.
Programme presented a good range of topics.
Gym ball session was most useful.
This was a brilliant venue for facilities, lunch etc.
Lecture theatre cold. Not very sociable room for discussion.
Good to meet up with other assistants and exchange information.
Good to catch up on the direction the service is moving. Unsure on
how this will change way of working.
Brilliant and very enjoyable.


Topics you would like to have included in next years conference.










More training and development programmes and possibly setting
up a standard competencies programmes as a measure for
assistants.
Role of community based physiotherapy assistants as opposed to
hospital based.
More sessions like gym ball.
More of same.
More speakers as with Debbie talking us through their role as AP
or assistant. Making it ‘real’ through their personal experience.
Incorporate more stories of career progression by any
physiotherapy assistant like Deb. This story provides an insight
how role of assistant can be developed or already developed role
can be identified.
Assistant to talk about what CSP has done and where they are now.
How assistants can upgrade in their role.
I particularly enjoyed the practical gym ball element of conference
and it would be useful to continue to have some practical element.
Clinical elements. A song!
Similar content.
6



















More practical workshops x 3.
Fran and Aled. Can we have a North and South conference again if
still to be one day?
More time! Clinical and practical sessions.
Bobath/stroke, clinical/practical/ fractures.
Practical hands on workshops. To be put on in Midlands again for
easier travelling.
I personally would like to see the same type of content set at the
same level. It made me feel valued as a member to listen to such
distinguished speakers.
More workshops where you can participate. Maybe a two-day
course as I travel from NI.
More practical workshops as everyone gets involved and chats to
each other and gets to know other roles. Would like a two-day
conference as I travel from NI.
More information about training availability.
More relevance to job roles of various physiotherapy assistant
posts.
Something on paediatrics.
More practical sessions such as the gym ball, which I rally enjoyed
and can apply to my job.
Paediatrics.
More practical sessions/paediatric workshops!
More information relevant to clinical practice rather than policy.
Child health issues, paediatrics.
More of what other assistants do e.g. acute, community, mental
health, out patients, PCT.
Variety in assistant roles in different areas.
More practical workshops and qualification/education and related
information.
NOT





USEFUL
None x 2
No x 10
The facilities were not brilliant but adequate
The role of the AP
No but some were not as good as others. Missed the song it was
fun, bring it back.
 Policy and politics x 2
 All parts of conference very useful x 2
VENUE AND ADMINISTRATION
Conference Administration
Pre-conference information
Promotion of event
Ex
Good Av
39
16
37
20
33
18
3
Poor
1
7
Advanced notice given
The venue
Catering
32
37
35
16
16
14
2
4
1
1
1
Comments

















The two registration ladies were very helpful and should be
applauded. More learning sessions would be an added bonus and I
think it would encourage more PTA’s to sign up.
Need more time had to rush some of the talkers, needed two day,
lots of information to take in. Would be better over two days.
Thank you I have enjoyed the day and the hotel. I love coming to
conference, keep up the good work.
Why is conference always on a Friday!!
Good ratio between ‘personal’ stories and officialdom. The pain
talk was amazing, likewise Debbie and a wonderful finale with
physiotherapist as a patient with Gillian Jordan. Thank you for
another vibrant and successful conference.
Excellent speakers.
As I was assessing myself ‘did I enjoy the day’, I said ‘I liked
Gillian’s session’, then I went on adding, ‘oh I liked gym ball, oh
yes Deb was good’ and then I concluded ‘yes I enjoyed today’. I
had a good day. Well done.
Charting the future Virginia Wykes, very good speaker but had to
rush through topic because of time.
I enjoyed conference. This is more of what I needed in my job as a
TI.
The conference was very enjoyable and I look forward to the next
one.
Wish people would commit to staying to end. One day does make
networking more difficult.
Appreciated the overnight stay in Thistle hotel (from Somerset).
Food should have been labelled. It was lovely but there was little
veggie could eat as I was not sure what was in them. Really good
conference, I think it was almost as inspirational as 1st I ever went
to (the first is always best as it comes as big shock).
Fridays a good day! Two days were better for effective
networking! Encouraging to see assistant roles moving forward
and becoming much more professional. Just hope CPD comes into
stream to ensure also have underpinning knowledge and skills for
change. Keep the ‘ball’ moving forward PAB. Thank you.
Enjoyed the experience – would attend future conference.
Very good day. Very enjoyable meeting other assistants.
Thanks Catherine and PAB.
Catherine has pulled out all the stops to make this a conference to
remember. There was something for everyone. Well done
Catherine.
8















A very good conference. A lot of topics covered. A big thank you
to Catherine for all her hard work and organisation. Oh and I
nearly forgot Angela.
I thought the photographer took a few too many photographs.
How many photos of one person do you need!! Quite distracting.
That aside I enjoyed the day and the hotel arranged for us was
excellent. Thank you.
Good way to network with the assistants around the country and
made to feel that we are as important as the qualified staff. Thank
you.
Very cold up to lunchtime with air conditioning.
Excellent.
Very well presented. A bit rushed at times. Overall good
conference. Will be back next year! (1st conference)
A slightly later start would enable easier travel arrangements
(from Wales)
Conference staring at 9 am makes it very difficult for us to arrive
on time, as the trains do not tally. Perhaps a 10-4 conference
would be possible? (From Wales)
The lecture theatre was very cold and the organisation and timing
on the day could have been better.
Thank you. Very enjoyable and informative.
Theatre too cold in morning.
Bit chilly in lecture theatre.
Could have done with more toilets. Cold in lecture theatre.
Morning sessions room cold. Warmed up after lunch.
The day was very informative and enjoyable. I will be able to
bring a lot of important information back to the work place and
will endeavour to encourage more PA’s to become members. The
venue was excellent and the enthusiasm and professionalism of
the PAB member came across throughout the day.
29th September 2008
9