A ‘‘concerning, but not entirely surprising’’ high turnover of physiotherapists poses a ‘‘substantial threat’’ to the stability and quality of New Zealand’s public healthcare, new research has revealed.
It has prompted urgent calls for strategies to strengthen recruitment, support and retention of physiotherapists within the public health system.
Lead author and University of Otago physiotherapy PhD candidate Gillian Watson said a survey completed by more than 570 physiotherapists — 46% of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora’s physiotherapy workforce — revealed 39.6% intended to leave their job and 19.4% considered leaving the profession.
The study provides the first detailed picture of the public health physiotherapy workforce and highlights a pressing issue.
‘‘Our results show that we have a skilled and experienced workforce,’’ Ms Watson said.
‘‘However, many are under pressure and considering leaving.
‘‘This has implications for costs and continuity of quality of care across the public healthcare sector.’’
The number of people intending to leave the profession was ‘‘concerning, but not entirely surprising’’.
‘‘There have been ongoing signals within the sector that retention is an issue, both in New Zealand and internationally.
‘‘What this study does is put some numbers around that concern and highlights the scale of the challenge.’’
She said the survey also showed 59.3% of respondents had more than 10 years’ experience; 60.7% worked full-time; 51.7% worked overtime; 56.6% supervised students; and 49.3% contributed to the ‘‘out-of-hours’’ roster.
‘‘This shows that public-sector physiotherapists are working in complex and demanding roles.
‘‘They are often less visible than doctors and nurses, yet they play a critical role across the health system.
‘‘They are managing large and varied caseloads, alongside responsibilities like student supervision, unpaid overtime and additional out-of-hours work.
‘‘Supporting this workforce isn’t just about staff wellbeing.
‘‘Retention directly impacts the quality of care people receive when they need it the most, and addressing these issues is imperative.’’
She believed new strategies were needed to improve the work environment — such as workload issues, support and career development.
They would be critical for the long-term sustainability of the workforce and continuity of care.
Prioritising these efforts would ultimately improve health service delivery, patient outcomes and cost-efficiency.
‘‘There is a real risk of losing experienced clinicians at a time when demand for services is increasing,’’ she said.