Covid 19 Patient information

Appointments
Due to current advice set by the government and public health England our department is not currently offering face to face consultations .
At present we are offering a reduced number of telephone & video appointments for those who we have assessed to be the most vulnerable or who have urgent clinical needs.

Current patients registered with outpatient physiotherapy
If you are currently registered with us, or have been referred and are awaiting an appointment, you can contact our department if you have any questions by email at huh-tr.physiohomerton@nhs.net
We will aim to respond to your emails within 2 working days from its receipt, however as staff may be off sick or moved to other departments this may not always be possible.  If you have an urgent query / concern please contact NHS 111.

The time period mentioned above, and the services we are available to offer, are subject to change. We will aim to keep you updated of any changes as soon as possible.  

Keeping active during social isolation
Current government advice is that we can leave the house once per day to exercise as long as we observe social distancing advice (please see below). Please be mindful that advice on leaving the house to exercise may be prone to change and to ensure you try your best to stay up to date with government advice (see link below). We can and should also remain active at home as best as able, below are some useful resources to help guide you.

General activity guidelines for all ages - guidance for under 18's and over 65's is provided at the bottom of the web page accessed through this link

Indoor / outdoor Exercise tips during COVID 19 by Sport England

Government advice on covid 19 and social distancing - as of 23 March 2020

Consultant outpatient physiotherapy

Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function to your body after an injury, illness or disability. Our service is divided into adult, paediatrics and women’s and men’s health physiotherapy.

You may be referred to our physiotherapy service after an injury, surgery or other persistent conditions. We can support a number of conditions including ligament sprain , healing after fracture and injuries to muscles or nerves. Your consultant or GP will direct you to the proper team.

If you can’t attend please let us know at least 24 hours before your appointment.
If you fail to attend two appointments, we will discharge you from the service and let your doctor know.

  1. image-Physio gym.JPG Adult physiotherapy
  2. image-Adult physio 1.jpg Women's and Men's health physiotherapy
  3. image-children's physio.jpg Children's physiotherapy

Information for GPs and health professionals

Our paediatric musculoskeletal physiotherapists work with the adult musculoskeletal team

Many of our therapists are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists.

We work out of Homerton University Hospital and our clinics are split between Starlight children’s outpatients (new-born to 5 years old), and the main physiotherapy outpatient department (6 to 16 years old).

We are also involved in the rheumatology clinics with one of our paediatricians.

Referrals
We accept consultant referrals from patients who live in Hackney and have a City and Hackney GP. We accept GP referrals from City and Hackney only.

Making a referral
Appointments and referrals can be made by you or your GP via The Electronic Referral Service (e-RS). This is Homerton's preferred method of receiving referrals. Please search under ‘Physiotherapy’ and ‘Musculoskeletal’ to find the Paediatric Musculoskeletal service

For children with neurological conditions, gross motor developmental delay or needing community input, make all referrals through Hackney Ark.
To speak to one of our staff, call 020 8510 7835.

Physiotherapy treatment
Our physiotherapy treatment can include:

  • Education, advice and reassurance
  • Home exercise
  • Manual therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Onward referrals for hydrotherapy at Mile End Hospital
  • Other onward referrals including; foot health services, dietetics and CAHMS

Some of the common conditions we assess and treat in our clinics:

Starlight

  • Positional talipes
  • Congenital talipes – managed with Ponseti casting
  • Torticollis and plagiocephaly
  • Gait abnormalities (in-toeing/out-toeing/idiopathic toe walking)
  • Obstetric brachial plexus palsy
  • Hypermobility
  • General aches and pains
  • Mild motor developmental delay

Therapies

  • General joint or muscular aches and pains
  • Ligamentous, muscular or bone injury
  • Hypermobility
  • Other rheumatology conditions such as JIA