Notice regarding the service during COVID-19
During the Coronavirus outbreak all MSK Services are still fully functioning.
We are accepting all referrals and processing as usual and referrals received are triaged within 24/48 hours. Where possible remote support is being offered via telephone or video consultation and this means that many of our initial contacts will be via either telephone or video. In line with national guidance face to face appointments will be arranged for those patients who have been assessed as needing to be seen in person. All patients attending face to face will be COVID-19 screened and asked to attend on their own where possible. If you have any concerns about attending you face to face appointment please contact us on the number on the top of your appointment letter. For further information please see "Arrangements for attending your appointment" and "More information about appointments during COVID".
Airmid App
Airmid is the new patient facing app to support all your healthcare needs. Patients can take control of their own healthcare and engage with their own care team. Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust would like to invite you to use the Airmid App to book your follow-up appointments within the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Service. Click here for further details, and here for FAQs.
Our outpatient Physiotherapy Service provides specialist community-based assessment, treatment and advice for people in East and North Hertfordshire with a range of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. Treatment may be provided on a one-to-one basis or in a group class setting, depending on what is most appropriate for you as a patient. We will also provide you with education and advice to support you in self-managing your condition.
Back into Action Classes
Since the summer of 2018, HCT’s MSK Physiotherapy team has delivered Back into Action classes, which use carefully selected movements and exercises designed to improve patients’ overall strength, balance, and cardiovascular health. The idea for the classes originally came from needing a solution to maximise estate space as well as looking at best practice from other specialist services and seeing how they leveraged spaces in gyms and community centres and to encourage patient self management as per NHS England initiatives. Back into Action classes are an hour each and are attended for six consecutive weeks.
Currently, classes occur at four locations (i.e. Letchworth, Stevenage, Hertford and Waltham Cross) but there is a desire among staff members and patients to expand the classes to additional areas. The classes consist of pilates based exercises to strengthen individual’s core and circuit exercises to improve strength, balance, flexibility and cardiovascular health. During the classes, physiotherapists teach attendees a range of exercises at varying levels of difficulty with the aim of increasing their confidence in self-management. Referrals into these classes is via the MSK Physiotherapy team.
We accept referrals to the outpatient Physiotherapy Service from GPs and consultants in east and north Hertfordshire.
Following acceptance of a referral we will contact you to arrange an appointment at one of our clinics. You will be seen by a member of our specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapy team, who will assess your condition and discuss an appropriate treatment plan with you.
On-going treatment will be provided at an outpatient clinic.
Our outpatient Physiotherapy Service is available to patients aged 8 years and over who are registered with a GP in east or north Hertfordshire.
At your appointment, your clinician will assess you by asking a series of questions about your presenting condition and then carrying out a physical examination.
We recommend wearing comfortable clothes that can be easily removed, as it may be necessary to partially undress as part of your assessment. If the lower half of your body is to be assessed we would suggest bringing a pair of shorts to change into. It is also helpful to bring along details of any medication you are taking.
Your appointment may last up to one hour.
Following your assessment, your clinician will discuss the findings of the examination with you and the next steps for best-managing your condition. In some cases you may be referred on to another team for further investigations.
In this section you can access a range of self-management leaflets, which have been put together by our team of physiotherapists. These leaflets cover a range of common musculoskeletal complaints, and provide information about the condition, how to treat it and some suggested exercises for you to try at home.
Please feel free to download and use these leaflets using the links below:
Achilles Tendon
Ankle Sprain
Knee Pain
Lower Back Pain
Neck Pain
Out of Plaster - Ankle
Out of Plaster - Wrist
Tennis Elbow
If you do use one of our leaflets and have any comments about it please let us know by emailing pals.hchs@nhs.net or by calling Patient Experience on 01707 388 036. We'd be very grateful for your input as it will help us improve and expand these resources. Thank you.
Positive Movement Programme
Positive Movement is a programme designed for older people, for anyone who is frail and/or at risk of falls, for those who experience mobility issues or a physical disability, for people living with a limiting long-term illness and for carers.
For further information about the programme and how to access it, follow the link below:
http://www.letchworthcentre.org/positive-movement-2/
PLEASE NOTE: The Positive Movement programme is not limited to Letchworth and is provided countywide.
There are also many websites which provide self-management resources; you can find links to a selection of these sites below:
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) have recently published "10 things you need to know about your back", which includes excellent advice and guidance about managing back pain and dispels some common myths. There is a video available to watch and all the information on the page can be downloaded and printed off as a handy information pack.
Worried about falling? Check out the CSP's new Get Up and Go animation, which demonstrates simple exercises you can do at home to help maintain your strength and stability. By keeping fit and well you can help reduce your risk of suffering a fall in the future.
Arthritis Research UK
Health A-Z - Muscle, Joint and Bone Disorders
Sports Injury Clinic
Affected by musculoskeletal pain? Got a spare 5 minutes? Watch this video: Understanding Pain in less than 5 minutes, and what to do about it!
Referrals from primary care should be sent via e-RS to Hertfordshire Out-patient MSK Physio – Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust - RY4.
We greatly appreciate the feedback of patients who use our services.
If you would like to share your experience of our outpatient Physiotherapy Service please contact our Patient Experience team either by calling 01707 388 036 or by sending an email to pals.hchs@nhs.net
You can also complete a survey by clicking here
Your feedback helps us to continually improve the service we provide, both to you and other patients - thank you.
