Physiotherapy service
The physiotherapy service at the occupational health and wellbeing centre is a service for staff. The occupational health physiotherapist treats a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders including muscle, nerve, joint and ligament complaints resulting from or impacting on your work.
Initial assessment and follow-up appointments
The physiotherapist will discuss your condition with you and carefully examine the area and nature of your problem. This initial assessment will last for approximately 60 minutes.
From there, the physiotherapist will decide whether physiotherapy is appropriate and then formulate a treatment programme tailored to your needs. Your follow-up appointment with treatment takes approximately 30 minutes.
You are advised to come appropriately dressed for your physiotherapy sessions. You will be offered towels and a private change area. Alternatively, you can bring your own towels.
The physiotherapy service is situated up a flight of stairs; therefore please contact the occupational health and wellbeing centre if you feel your condition might make it difficult for you to access the centre.
If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, you may not been seen. Please contact the occupational health and wellbeing centre if you are not able to attend or will be arriving late.
Please bring any notes or results of any investigations that are relevant to your condition. At the end of your assessment, if further investigations are considered appropriate you will be referred to your GP or onto another specialty within the occupational health and wellbeing centre.
Benefits and treatment sessions
The physiotherapist will use a wide range of techniques such as mobilisations, manipulations, soft tissue massage, acupuncture and exercise therapy as well as electrotherapeutic modalities.
Benefits include:
- Accurate physiotherapy needs assessment
- Appropriate and effective treatment
- Comprehensive case management
- Recommendations for workplace adjustments
- Functional restoration programmes
- Support returning to work after a period of sickness absence
- Support to cope with chronic pain
- Ergonomic assessment advice
- Injury preventative strategies & health promotion advice
- Helping employers meet their obligation under the Equality Act 2010
- Assistance in meeting health and safety obligations
- Facilitatation of onward referral (as appropriate)
Treatment sessions consist of:
- Joint mobilisations – applied movements to reduce stiffness and relieve pain
- Joint manipulation – high velocity, low amplitude thrusts to restore normal movement
- Soft tissue massage – to reduce scar tissue, relieve muscle spasm and accelerate the healing process
- Clinical exercise – personal exercise programmes prescribed to re-educate and restore weak or deficient muscles, including modified rehabilitative pilates
- Electrotherapy – a variety of techniques including ultrasound to relieve pain and enhance the healing process
- Injury prevention advice – looking at the cause of the injury and advising on means of stopping re-occurrence, which may include ergonomic advice
- Acupuncture – to relieve pain and reduce muscle tightness in order to restore normal function
- Principles of cognitive behavioural therapy – to assist with the emotional responses to chronic pain
How to refer
If you require treatment only, you can self-refer to the physiotherapy service. Staff at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital or Edgware Hospital should call 0208 375 1821/2468. Staff at the Royal Free Hospital should call 020 7794 0500 and ask for extension 33148.
If you require adjustment to your workplace and/or a written report to be sent to your manager, please ask your manager to refer you using the trust’s management referral form (available on the intranet).
Confidentiality
The confidentially of the staff member will be maintained in all physiotherapy consultations. Feedback (to the manager, GP or any other appropriately nominated person/s) will only be given with the written consent of the staff member. Communication with the manager or other non-medical personnel will not include any confidential medical information, unless permission to do so is given by the staff member.