Physiotherapy for adults

Our team of physiotherapists support you if you are in one of our hospitals and have a condition related to rheumatology, orthopaedics neurology, or a vascular condition.

Location: Central Middlesex, Ealing, Northwick Park and St Mark's Hospitals
Division: Integrated clinical services

Our team of physiotherapists support you if you are in one of our hospitals and have a condition related to:

• rheumatology
• orthopaedics
• neurology (including vestibular disorders)
• vascular.

We also provide a range of outpatient services.

If you are an inpatient and have been referred to a therapist, we will:

• perform a physical assessment
• gather information from you, your clinical team, and sometimes your family or carers
• discuss what treatment or intervention would be appropriate for you.

We aim to help you gain as much function and independence as possible.

Our respiratory, medicine and surgery therapy team assess and treat you if you are referred by our medical team. This might be because you have a pre-existing chest condition, or because you have developed a chest or mobility problem while in hospital. We provide a range of services, including assessments for home oxygen therapy.

Our vascular physiotherapy team are based at Northwick Park Hospital, and provide specialist assessment and rehabilitation for vascular patients. We work closely with you if you have recently had an operation, as well as assessing your mobility, supporting your rehabilitation, and providing specialist respiratory management.

Our orthopaedic physiotherapists assess and treat you if you have been admitted with a traumatic injury or for an elective procedure.

• We aim to provide you with rehabilitation as soon you are able, including teaching you exercises and offering you post-operative advice to support your recovery.
• If you have had an elective joint replacement, you will be involved in a rapid recovery programme. The programme makes sure that you're fully informed about your care before you have your surgery by asking you to attend a joint school, where you receive information about your treatment from a range of healthcare professionals.
• If you have been admitted due to trauma or a fracture, we will work closely with you to improve your mobility and strength so that you can go home safely.

Our older adults and acute medical physiotherapy teams assess and provide physiotherapy for you if you are under the care of an elderly care consultant. We provide advice, support and equipment, as well as exercises and interventions. We work closely with other healthcare professionals to provide you with advice about leaving hospital, as well as conducting exercise classes and falls education programmes for you.

Our neurology and stroke team provide assessments and rehabilitation for you if you are receiving care for a stroke or neurological condition. We work across our wards, but especially on our Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit and Stroke Unit, as well as with Gladstone Ward at Central Middlesex Hospital.

Our A&E frailty team may screen you if you come into one of our Emergency Departments, to check if you are at risk of falling and to help identify the most appropriate care pathway for you.

Our women’s health physiotherapy team include clinical specialists, and assess you if you have a urological, gynaecological or bowel condition. We:

• are highly skilled in the use of EMG pro feedback, electrical stimulation and using tools for pelvic floor reeducation
• offer antenatal classes
• assess and treat you if you have a gynaecological problem following an operation
• provide information and exercises for post-natal care.

Our pulmonary rehabilitation team at Ealing is an education and exercise course for people with COPD and other chronic respiratory conditions (including bronchiectasis, lung fibrosis, and chronic asthma).

• You will need a referral from your GP, Practice Nurse, Chest Clinic, Community Matron or other respiratory teams.
• Once you have been referred, we will assess you and, if appropriate, enter you onto a six week course.
• The course involves two-hour sessions twice a week.
• This includes one hour of gentle exercise tailored to your specific needs, followed by an hour for an informative talk.

Our team of specialist physiotherapists assess you if you have musculoskeletal problems. You will receive:

• a comprehensive assessment
• a physiotherapy diagnosis
• a management plan, including home exercises to support you to recover at home

Our therapists are skilled in:

• manual therapy
• soft tissue massage
• therapeutic exercise and exercise prescription
• applying electrical devices in your treatment (known as electro-physical modalities)
• acupuncture.

We are proud to be a part of a diverse community, and our team are sensitive to any cultural needs that you may have.

Some of the services we offer include:

• women’s health services
• hydrotherapy
• spinal pain triage service (Northwick Park Hospital)
• a variety of classes that are designed to promote mobility, strengthening and function
• maintenance classes
• respiratory physiotherapy outpatient clinics, if you live in Brent, Harrow or Ealing. You might be referred to this service for sputum clearance advice or breathing re-education
• a Community Pulmonary Rehab Service (in Ealing)
• an outpatient amputee service, with a limited home visits service for people with vascular conditions
• a neurological outpatient physiotherapy service, which assesses and treats you if you have a neurological condition (at Northwick Park). This service will provide rehabilitation for you if you have problems affecting your inner ear or the part of the brain affecting your balance and eye movements (known as vestibular rehabilitation).

If you are coming for your first outpatient physiotherapy appointment, there are few things you should know.

Your first appointment may last up to an hour. This is so that your physiotherapist can examine you thoroughly.

We will ask you some relevant questions about your health.  It will be helpful to bring a list of your tablets with you. In some instances you may be asked to complete some forms, so please remember to bring reading glasses if you need them. We can assist you with completing your forms if you need.

We will ask you some questions about your home, family, work and hobbies. This is so that we can assess what physical demands you have in your normal life.

We will examine you, which means you need to be prepared to undress. We recommend that you bring some shorts and a vest top, or clothes that allow us to easily examine you. In some instance (such as if you are experiencing back pain), you may need to undress down to your underwear.

Please let our physiotherapist know on the day if you would like a friend or relative to attend the appointment with you.

At the end of your assessment, you and your physiotherapist will discuss and agree what you  can achieve, and plan your treatment. In some cases, your formal treatment may not start until your second visit. 

At Northwick Park Hospital, our specialist rheumatology physiotherapy team works closely with our rheumatology consultants in the Arthritis Centre.

We specialise in managing conditions such as:

• rheumatoid arthritis
• ankylosing spondylitis
• osteoporosis
• polymyosits
• hypermobility syndrome
• all inflammatory joint and muscle conditions.

We can provide services such as:

• individual assessment and treatment
• providing short and long-term exercise plans
• providing access to exercise classes, including hydrotherapy.

If you would like to continue to exercise with supervision on a long-term basis, we also offer most of these classes on a self-funded basis at a low cost. Current classes include:

• hydrotherapy (13 classes per week)
• osteoporosis-specific pilates classes
• strength and balance classes for you if you have osteoporosis
• rehabilitation for you if you have had total knee replacement.  

Get in touch with our team for more information on 0208 869 2237.

We specialise in managing neurological conditions like:

• Stroke
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Vestibular conditions
• Facial palsy
• Cerebellar ataxia
• All other neurological conditions

To be referred a GP or Consultant needs to send a letter or referral to ( email address)  or access the electronic referral system for GP’s

Following referral you will be contacted by letter to offer you the opportunity to book a virtual or telephone assessment.

During this appointment the physiotherapist will discuss :

• The main problems you are experiencing and any aims of treatment you have
• A treatment programme will be developed over the course of physiotherapy including advice, education and development of long term exercise programmes and management of symptoms.
• The effectiveness of the treatment is reviewed. 

We sometimes offer exercise classes or hydrotherapy as part of treatment.

You can get in touch with us:

• at Central Middlesex Hospital: 020 8453 2234
• at Ealing Hospital: 020 8967 5487
• at Northwick Park and St Mark's Hospital: 020 8869 2228