Physiotherapists
There are over 160 Physiotherapists employed across the Trust. They provide expertise within a range different specialist services for individuals at all stages of their illness, condition, and recovery whilst as an inpatients or in the wider community. Areas in which our physiotherapist work include
- Children’s Physiotherapy Services
- Children’s Community Respiratory Physiotherapy and Rapid Response Team
- Community Therapy Services as part of Integrated Adult Services teams across south Nottinghamshire, mid Nottinghamshire, and Bassetlaw
- Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs)
- Community Stroke Teams and long-term neurological conditions
- COPD Services and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Elderly Rehabilitation and Inpatient Therapy at Highbury Hospital and Lings Bar Hospital
- Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
- Residential Reablement Service
- Specialist Physiotherapy in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services
Our committed physiotherapists encourage independence, support healthier lifestyles, greater function, and engagement for people of all ages to help maintain health, prevent disease, and manage pain. They are involved in a range of continuing professional development, research, and audit opportunities, collaborating with others to develop innovations and strategies to meet the growing demands on healthcare systems. There is a network of support for physiotherapists and opportunities to work as a permanent member of staff, on a fixed term contract or on our bank. We also facilitate physiotherapists to return to practice.
Clinical education is an important part of our physiotherapist’s roles and we host students from the BSc, MSc and apprenticeship programmes. of University of Nottingham, University of Lincoln, and Sheffield Hallam University.
Career stories
Moira Flanigan, Clinical Lead Practitioner, Childrens Community Respiratory Physiotherapist
The Specialist team
Moira developed the Childrens Community Respiratory Physiotherapy Service (Including Rapid Response) alongside a Community Paediatrician and Respiratory Consultant in 2010. Since its inception it has expanded from one to four Physiotherapists. The team supports families who have children aged up to 25years old with complex neuro-disabilities and severe respiratory difficulties who are at risk of life-threatening chest infections. The team work proactively in the community to support individuals to keep them well at home and reduce the need for unnecessary hospital admissions.
Accolades
The service has received national recognition and have won two HSJ awards and presented at CSP, RCPCH, BACD, ACPRC and regional palliative care conferences. This year the team are Midlands regional winners for the parliamentary awards and have been shortlisted for the final. They have also been shortlisted for a further two HSJ Value awards. Moira won the Outstanding Care and Compassion award for Nottshc 19/20. The team had a paper published in BMJ Quality Improvement reports and are currently writing a further paper they hope to get published this year. The team are highly specialist practitioners and Moira has been able to access the post graduate training to become an independent prescriber so that she is able to respond directly to the needs of those she supports.
Leadership
To become an independent prescriber, Moira initially studied at Leicester University to become a supplementary prescriber and then went on to London South Bank University to complete the conversion course to become an independent prescriber. She was the only physiotherapist on the course but was alongside podiatry and pharmacy colleagues.
Lessons
Moira reports that having this qualification has had a significant positive impact on the service. Allowing prompt access to medications for families, simplifying processes and giving advice. Moira utilises this skill every day within her role.