CSP Council

• Ms Caroline Abbott
  (email abbottc@csp.org.uk)
• Mr Robert Davies)
  (email daviesr@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Manessa Faal
  (email faalm@csp.org.uk)
• Mr Senthil Karadiar
  (email karadiars@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Gillian Rawlinson
  (email grawlinson@csp.org.uk)
• Mr Chris Richards
  (email richardsc@csp.org.uk)
• Mr Sri Sabapathy
  (email sabapathys@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Claire Small
  (email smallc@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Alexandra Spearritt (Vice-chair)
  (email spearritta@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Jill Taylor
  (email taylorj@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Kelly Walker
  (email walkerk@csp.org.uk)
• Ms Sylvia Wojciechowski
  (email wojciechowskis@csp.org.uk)

Caroline Abbott 

Over the last four years, I have been employed as a Major Trauma Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) at Salford Royal following completion of a MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice at the University of Salford.

Prior to this, I worked for the complex spinal team, as a major trauma physiotherapist and completed various rotational posts. My clinical interests are traumatic brain injuries, polytrauma and spinal cord injuries.

My role centres on providing holistic patient-centred care through assessment, treatment and facilitating early rehabilitation. I am a nonmedical prescriber.

As the vice co-chair of the Major Trauma Advanced Practice (MTAP) group and an honorary lecturer at the University of Salford, I am passionate about service development, mentorship, and education.

As a Council member, I aim to be an advocate for physiotherapy roles along the patient journey from the Emergency Department to Rehabilitation.

And as a proud ACP, I am dedicated to encouraging physiotherapists to pursue ACP roles nationally, and this will be a key focus of mine.

Robert Davies

Rob currently works as a Parkinson’s Specialist Practitioner for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP). Since qualifying at the University of Plymouth in 2011 Rob has worked in both the community and acute settings and undertaken rotations across specialities including MSK, cardiorespiratory, trauma and orthopaedics, neurology and care of the elderly. Since specialising in the management of Parkinson’s Rob has undertaken further training to qualify for Independent Prescribing rights as a Non-Medical Prescriber.

 As an active member of the CSP Rob has been a workplace Steward for UHP, a Regional Steward for the South West and also sat on the Executive Committee for the National Group of Regional Stewards (NGRS). He has also represented the CSP at TUC Congress and led the South West delegation to several Annual Representative Conferences, as well as co-ordinating the delegations for the Stewards, Safety Reps and Equality Reps across the home nations and crown dependencies, culminating in the highest number of reps attending ARC in 2024.

 In addition to the above Rob is also a Visiting Lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University, a Specialist Lecturer at University of Plymouth and also leads a team of Physiotherapy staff to run the Plymouth National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) branch.

Manessa Faal

Thank you for your votes. I work in musculoskeletal outpatients within the NHS, alongside this role I work as a veterinary physiotherapist, providing physiotherapy consultancy for large and small animals across South Wales.

I am also part of the CSP’s Welsh Race Equality Group, Welsh Board and I am a steward.

I believe equality and equity are integral to the success of our profession. We must ensure we are building a profession which is reflective of the populations we serve.

Currently, I am the chair of The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT), a CSP professional Network advocating for members specialising in Animal Physiotherapy.

I am extremely passionate about advocating and raising the profile for our profession. Making a difference is integral to who I am and has been a key driver within my steward and leadership role within ACPAT. I aim to make a difference to the physiotherapy profession and our practice, striving for excellence in clinical practice and standards of care.

Senthil Karadiar

I am a Chartered Physiotherapist with over two decades of experience, having started my career in 2000. In 2005, I moved to Edinburgh to pursue an MSc in Physiotherapy at Queen Margaret University. Since then, I have worked across various settings throughout the UK, including the NHS, local government, and the private sector. Currently, I serve as a Band 7 Clinical Physiotherapist with NHS South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT), where I provide advanced clinical care and leadership within the physiotherapy team.

In addition to my clinical role, I am an elected Councillor for Rugby Borough Council, representing the Labour Party. I actively contribute as a member of both the Planning Committee and the Audit & Ethics Committee, demonstrating my commitment to public service and ethical governance.

I am passionate about advocating for the rights and professional well-being of physiotherapists, particularly those from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK. My commitment includes:

• Improving the work environment for physiotherapists from BAME backgrounds, ensuring they are supported and valued.
• Protecting physiotherapists who face challenges with regulatory bodies, such as the Health and Care Professions Council, when these institutions are used as tools for unjust workplace practices.
• Establishing clear professional boundaries within the physiotherapy field to ensure that physiotherapists are not tasked with responsibilities outside their scope of practice under the guise of teamwork.

My aim is to help shape a fairer, more inclusive profession that recognises and addresses the unique challenges faced by physiotherapists in today’s healthcare landscape.

Gillian Rawlinson

Gill was elected in 2022. She took up her role at the November 2022 AGM. 

Chris Richards

Chris works in the community physiotherapy team for Hywel Dda university health board located in mid and west Wales.  Chris is completely fluent in the Welsh language. Before joining the NHS almost a decade ago, he worked in the fitness industry where he was a personal trainer and duty manager. More recently he was on the pilot course for the ‘All Wales Level 4 Therapies Diploma’ and was amongst one of the first to graduate from this course through the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Being a pioneer on this has now meant the course has developed throughout Wales.

In 2020 Chris was one of the first members of the CSP support worker reference group and helped CSP staff to transition to the CSP Associates Network and was elected chair of this network. Chris is also an ambassador for the Stronger my way campaign and was a picket supervisor at the CSP 4 Fair Pay campaign. Chris is a specialist cancer and rehabilitation instructor and an ambassador for the ‘5K your way move against cancer’ in his local area.

Srikesavan Sabapathy

Sri graduated with a BPT in 1998 and an MPT in 2006 from India and gained experience in roles that involved academic teaching and administration, and research and clinical work. In 2009, he moved to Canada where he completed an MSc in medical rehabilitation and worked as a physiotherapist. He moved to the UK in 2015 and worked as a major trauma inpatient physiotherapist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Sri has since moved into commissioning and is currently the clinical lead therapist at NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board. He served on the CSP professional committee in 2021 before being elected to the Council in 2022. Sri is an active member of the CSP BAME Network, with a special interest around work involving internationally trained physiotherapists. He is an elected governor (public) of Oxford Health NHS Foundation trust and volunteers on the staff experience group.

Claire Small 

Originally from Australia, I’ve been a private practitioner in London for 30 years, 20 of those as the Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Pure Sports Medicine, a group of eight multidisciplinary clinics across London. In 2015, I was named Australian Businesswoman in the UK.

This has allowed me to develop a solid knowledge of finance, governance, professional development, risk management and strategy.

I have led contract negotiations with insurance companies, corporate groups and other organisations. Alongside clinical work, I am a postgraduate lecturer on various MSc programmes and co-led the MACP course for membership for many years. I was made a Fellow of the MACP in 2016.

I believe that high-quality education is essential for the development of our profession. I’ve worked with the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the CSP and the MACP on numerous strategic projects, including delivering national and international conferences.

I am passionate about our profession, hardworking and willing to speak up and voice my opinion. It’s an honour and a privilege to represent you on Council. 

Alexandra Spearritt
Vice Chair

Firstly, I would like to thank the members who voted for me in the 2024 council elections, resulting in my re-election onto council. Having been a member of council since 2021, it is a privilege to embark on a second term and also continue in the role of Vice Chair.

I work full time as the Divisional Director of AHPs at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust, I’m a mum and an active trade unionist. Across my 22-year career, I have worked in private and NHS sectors, across paediatric and adult services and taken on a range of CSP roles, including health and safety rep, workplace steward and regional steward.

I enjoy engaging with members across our networks, committees, HEI’s, workplaces, rallies and events such ARC, Conference, TUC Congress and Pride and I’m passionate about equality, diversity and belonging, as well as leadership development for students, support workers and registered members.

I remain motivated to make a difference to members, patients and our profession by empowering and engaging with our diverse membership to strengthen our collective voice.

Jill Taylor

I am an NHS clinical team lead, specialising in hand therapy.

I am also the Freedom to Speak up guardian for Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals where I have worked since 2000.

I have been an active workplace representative and strong trade unionist for over 23 years; working tirelessly as a staff advocate during this time. I am an active member of our trusts staffside group as vice chair.

As an active CSP member, I have been part of the national group of regional stewards for over 20 years, leading the North East region, and have been the chair of this group since 2018. I represent the CSP and its members as a lay member of the NHS staff council and I chair the Employment committee.

I am passionate about the employment of all physiotherapists – within the NHS, private and voluntary sectors.

I am dedicated to our profession, I am happy to challenge and I am certainly happy to have difficult conversations.

Dr Kelly Walker

Kelly is an associate professor in physiotherapy at the University of East Anglia (UEA), since 2005. She qualified as a physiotherapist in 1997 from the University of Hertfordshire and worked clinically in Cambridge and Staffordshire specialising in neurology and stroke rehabilitation. Kelly has been a CSP member for 29 years – as a student, clinician, CSP steward, lecturer, CSP education representative, and physiotherapy course director. This has provided her with great insight and the opportunity to focus on the physiotherapist of the future in an evolving health and social care context. 

Kelly obtained her master’s in neurological physiotherapy in 2005 from Coventry University and her doctorate in education in 2013 at UEA researching students’ experiences of learning neurological physiotherapy. Her interests lie in physiotherapy teaching and learning, promoting person-centred practice with self-management and sustainability, and physiotherapy graduate employability. Kelly intends to use these interests and skills developed through her university teaching innovation, administration, quality assurance, leadership and management roles, to learn from and represent the diversity of the CSP membership.

Sylvia Wojciechowski
Chair

Sylvia is  Head of Allied Health Professionals (AHP's) for Frimley ICS.  She is driven by a deep passion for the transformative value of physiotherapy and the broader contributions of AHP roles. Her career in healthcare began after a personal injury in her early 20s led to a change of direction, inspiring her to pursue physiotherapy—a decision she has never looked back on.

With over 28 years experience, including 18 years as an Advanced Practice Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Sylvia has worked across both the private sector and the NHS, bringing a wealth of expertise and insight to her role. In her current leadership position, she works across boundaries, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to proudly promote the value of  AHP roles. Sylvia is passionate about collaborative working, fostering partnerships that benefit patients, professionals, and the healthcare system as a whole.

^{All photographs (c) Nathan Clarke 2018}

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2024 Meeting dates 

• 5 December 2024

Key messages from Council meetings

• Focus points from the October 2024 meeting
• Focus points from the July 2024 meeting
• Focus point from the May 2024 meeting
• Focus points from the March 2024 meeting
• Focus points from the February 2024 meeting
• Focus Points from the December 2023 meeting
• Focus points from the September 2023 meeting
• Focus points from the July 2023 meeting
• Focus points from the March 2023 meeting

Role and remit of CSP Council

• Council code of conduct
• Council roles – chair
• Council roles – member
• Council roles – vice-chair

Council committees

Find out more about Council's four strategic committees: 

• Finance, risk and audit committee
• Employment committee 
• Professional committee
• Equity, diversity and belonging committee