Patients in some parts of the UK are suffering from under-resourced NHS physio services, a report has revealed.
The report by the Patients Association entitled “Why our NHS should listen and be human” pinpointed cases where patients had encountered poor experiences.
One example was Peter Woolliscroft, 68, who was told that an unnamed hospital’s physiotherapy team would help him to become sufficiently mobile to be discharged.
Mr Woolliscroft explained: “The team was short-staffed. I saw a physiotherapist for 30 minutes every couple of days which was not enough to make a difference.
“The physiotherapists assumed the health care assistants would help me practise the exercises, but this simply did not happen.”
The report included findings from focus groups, listening events and surveys carried out throughout 2014, as well as analysis of data from the organisation’s national helpline.
Natalie Beswetherick, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s director of practice and development, said: “We know that physiotherapy is both clinically important and cost effective in providing rehabilitation to maximise function and mobility. We all need to make the case for physiotherapy at every opportunity so patients report a positive experience.”