Made up of CSP members, the Scottish Board leads and represents the profession by promoting excellence in practice and employment, and influencing healthcare policy across the country and the rest of the UK.
Contact us through your local/network representative or by emailing the CSP Scotland office at scotland@csp.org.uk.
The CSP Scottish Board aims to act as the voice of physiotherapy in Scotland and to support members in transforming people’s health and wellbeing.
The principal roles of CSP Scottish Board are to:
- Provide a forum for all sections of the CSP membership to be represented and to discuss matters affecting the membership and physiotherapy profession in Scotland, acting as a conduit for information from grassroots membership to CSP Council and vice versa. ‘Engaging’
- Influence policy makers and stakeholders within the CSP, Scottish government and local health boards. ‘Influencing’
- Advise and provide a key link between the Scottish membership and CSP functions on issues affecting the physiotherapy profession in Scotland. ‘Advising’
- Support members in Scotland involved in activities for the CSP and support the CSP Scottish Office to deliver strategic priorities in Scotland. ‘Supporting’
- Further develop and safeguard the interests of CSP members in Scotland keeping a watching brief on developments that affect CSP members in Scotland. ‘Monitoring’
Join Scottish Board
Scottish Board is inviting CSP members from all sectors and areas of the profession across Scotland to consider stepping on board.
Scottish Board is the voice of the physio profession in Scotland. We’re looking for people who are committed and enthusiastic about the profession, and able to attend four meetings a year (mix of virtual and face to face) with some commitment in between. Becoming a member of Scottish Board can lead to CPD opportunities, networking and more.
Contact Mindy Dallow at dallowaym@csp.org.uk to arrange an informal conversation and find out more.
Meet the board members
Louise Veitch | |
| Location: | East Lothian |
| Background: | I currently work as a musculoskeletal (MSK) clinical lead physiotherapist in East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership along with being East Lothian Physiotherapy professional lead. I completed my BSc (Hons) at Glasgow Caledonian university in 2008 and have worked clinically within NHS Lothian since then. I completed my MSc in musculoskeletal medicine in 2023 at Queen Margaret University. |
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Emma Cavanagh |  |
| Location: | Forth Valley |
| Background: | After qualifying, I completed a number of rotations in Glasgow Royal Infirmary as a junior physiotherapist before moving to Forth Valley as a Band 6. I have led on a service redesign of Single Point of Request for the community-based allied health professions (AHP) services, and I am a team lead for an AHP community-based rehab service in NHS Forth Valley. I joined the CSP Scottish Board to support and champion the work that is done by community-based physios and to help raise the profile of the community services as a whole. |
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Ruth Currie |  |
| Location: | Lanarkshire |
| Background: | I am an MSK physiotherapist and physiotherapy manager. I qualified in 1989 with a BSc in physiotherapy and after two years in a rotational post moved into MSK physiotherapy where I have been ever since. I worked for a few years in a back pain ESP role before moving to NHS Lanarkshire in 2008 into a physio MSK management post. I am currently the deputy head of physiotherapy for NHS Lanarkshire and MSK lead. I joined the CSP Scottish Board in 2016 and Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland (AHPFS) in 2018 and am passionate about giving a voice to our profession in both local and national settings. Out with work I continue to pursue sport and fitness (run/tennis/swim/cycle/hockey/yoga) when I am not in my role as Nana to three awesome grandchildren. |
| Areas of special clinical interest: | MSK in all its guises local and national, whether in a traditional outpatient setting, as a first contact physiotherapist (FCP) in a GP practice or within an ED role. I’m interested in digital technology and how we might harness it to future-proof our service delivery. |
Jenna Rhodes |  |
| Location: | Edinburgh |
| Background: | I currently work at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, as a lecturer in physiotherapy and programme leader for the undergraduate integrated Master of Physiotherapy course. I completed my undergraduate studies in physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2007 and went on to work in challenging and varied clinical and non-clinical roles focusing on neurological/community rehabilitation and complex disability support. I completed an MSc in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2019 before joining QMU. Since working at QMU I've taken on the role of programme leader, won a place on the Aurora leadership programme for aspiring female leaders and have led on projects to improve student wellbeing on placement. I am thrilled to be part of the CSP Scottish Board and looking forward to speaking on behalf of CSP Scotland members. |
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Stephanie Valentin |  |
| Location: | Edinburgh |
| Background: | I joined Edinburgh Napier University in 2023 as an associate professor in physiotherapy. I teach on the MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) programme and I am research active, primarily in the area of musculoskeletal health, injury in sport, low back pain, muscle imaging, and electromyography. My previous roles have been varied and include being a physiotherapist in NHS Grampian (primarily MSK), veterinary physiotherapist, research assistant, post-doctoral researcher, and lecturer (in sport and exercise science). I was very fortunate for these experiences to include both Scottish and international settings (Australia, Austria). Outside of work I like to keep myself busy with hillwalking and trail running. I am delighted to be part of the CSP Scottish Board and to be a voice for our members. |
| Areas of special clinical interest: | MSK, specifically low back pain. |
Dr Laura Blackburn |  |
| Location: | Stirling and Glasgow |
| Background: | I completed the Doctor of Physiotherapy (pre-reg) at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2023 and was the 2022-23 chair and Scotland officer in the Student Reference Group within the CSP. Since qualifying, I have worked in both the NHS and in private practice. My primary role is at Glasgow Caledonian University, where my time is split between a research fellowship and in teaching across physiotherapy programmes. Influenced by my studies in psychology, my research interests generally span across the role of affect in health-related behaviours, co-creation, person-centred care, service user/student-staff partnerships, student voice, learner agency, and perfectionism in higher education institutions (HEIs) and healthcare. I am regularly involved in supervision and mentorship, having supervised over 19 students through research and a mentor to students and of a NHS Fife employee on a career fellowship. One of my most notable projects is the BUMPER study, measuring burnout, moral injury, and perfectionism in physiotherapists in the UK. Recently, GCU has been successful in our CSP tender bid to complete the ‘Transforming Quality in Pre-registration Physiotherapy Education’ project. I hope to bring a newly qualified physiotherapist perspective and student voice to Scottish Board, while promoting methods from the creative arts to enhance ways we communicate and influence the profession. |