Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
75 years of Physiotherapy education celebrated at Leeds Beckett
Former students, teaching staff, clinical industry colleagues, and friends will gather at Leeds Beckett’s city centre Rose Bowl building for an afternoon tea and tour of the Clinical Skills teaching suite, before heading to the Dry Dock pu
Speaking at the event will be Karen Middleton, CEO of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett, and Janice Martin, Head of Physiotherapy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Kate Grafton, Principal Lecturer in the School of Health at Leeds Beckett University, explained: “We are one of the oldest Physiotherapy schools in the country and have a long and proud tradition of training outstanding physiotherapists that contribute significantly to our profession both locally, nationally and globally.
Physiotherapy education in Leeds began in 1942 with the establishment of the School of Physiotherapy on the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) site. From the outset, the School had a reputation for achieving a high standard in national examinations and for producing physiotherapists with a high level of skill.
In 1987, the Leeds School of Physiotherapy began delivering a Graduate Diploma course, before joining forces with Leeds Polytechnic in 1990 and setting up a degree programme.
In 1991, the School of Physiotherapy moved physically into Leeds Polytechnic and became one of the professional groups which constituted the Faculty of Health and Social Care. Leeds Polytechnic was granted university status in 1992, becoming Leeds Metropolitan University; and the first cohort of BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy students graduated in 1993. Leeds Metropolitan then became Leeds Beckett University in 2014.
Kate said: “The Physiotherapy profession has had to constantly evolve and move forwards to meet the changing needs of health and social care. From 1942 to 2017, the core skills and values remain the same: empowering individuals affected by injury, illness or disability through movement, function and education.”
Speaking about the future of the Physiotherapy profession, Kate added: “With an ageing and largely sedentary population on the one hand - combined with the increasing participation in sports, and the swift advances in surgery and medicine on the other – there will always be a need for rehabilitation and exercise. That is where I hope that physiotherapy will continue to be at the forefront.”