Our Therapy Service

We are an integrated Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Service. Both professions offer specialist assessment and treatment for a wide range of problems working with people to promote their own health and wellbeing. They help people to return to everyday life following illness or injury.

Our physiotherapists provide assessment, treatment and management for a wide range of problems associated with different systems of the body:

• musculoskeletal (muscles, joints, bones and soft tissues)
• neuromuscular (brain and nervous system)
• cardiovascular and respiratory (heart lungs and circulation)

All Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, the regulatory body for Allied Health Professionals. They are supported by a team of Therapy Support Workers and administrative staff.

Inpatient care

The physiotherapy service normally operates between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday at Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. We offer a weekend service for patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery and a 24-hour emergency respiratory on-call service.

Outpatient care

The Physiotherapy Team offers treatment for problems including:

• musculoskeletal conditions: this includes problems with muscles, joints, tendons, discs, nerves and bones for example in the back or neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and feet
• surgical and non-surgical conditions of the wrist and hand
• rheumatological conditions (e.g Rheumatoid Arthritis)
• Women’s and men's health: this includes musculoskeletal problems during and after pregnancy, bladder conditions, bowel conditions, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain and problems following treatment for breast cancer e.g. shoulder stiffness or cording
• Bell’s (facial) palsy
• Vestibular disorders (poor balance and dizziness)
• Respiratory conditions
• Neurological conditions (eg. Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis)
• Falls prevention and management service

How to get the most out of your physiotherapy

• Get involved in the decisions forming your individual treatment plan. The more you are involved in these decisions the more likely you are to get a good outcome
• Do as much as you can to help yourself with your condition and your general health and well being, using the advice and information given. For more information visit NHS.UK
• Tell us how your treatment is going and about difficulties you have in following our advice
• Attend appointments and let us know in advance of any cancellations or booking changes needed.

Our app to help support you

Our getUBetter app guides you day-by-day through exercises and gives you tips to help you get better from a range of problems. You can download it as an app for your phone, or access it in your web browser.

Find out more about the app and how you can help yourself

Undergraduate education

Our Physiotherapy Service offers clinical placements for undergraduate physiotherapy students to the University of the West of England. Elective placements are sometimes undertaken from other universities when requested.

Clinical educators offer a comprehensive range of placements throughout our hospitals. Further details can be accessed UWE/Practice Support/Physiotherapy

Accommodation is arranged by the University.

Car parking permits for accommodation car parks are obtained from the accommodation officer. If you will be commuting, parking permits are available, these can be arranged on your first day.

Work Experience

The Therapy Service can offer 1 day work experience to those students who meet the criteria: you must be a resident of Gloucestershire and attend school/college in Gloucestershire

Students aged 16 and over taking A level examinations at the time of placement and aiming for a career in physiotherapy, alternatively a mature student with the relevant qualifications. For your information, 4 A levels are required for entry into physiotherapy studies; please refer to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy website

Anyone interested in a career in physiotherapy is considered for 1 day work experience at either Gloucestershire Royal Hospital or Cheltenham General Hospital. We do, however, receive a large number of requests and we are limited in the number of placements that we can offer.

Please follow the link below to apply for Physiotherapy work experience at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital or Cheltenham General Hospital.

• Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Application Form - please complete and email to Donna.Bevan@nhs.net
• Cheltenham General Hospital Application Form - please complete and email to Donna.Bevan@nhs.net

Contacts

If you're an adult, refer yourself online

You can refer yourself to Physiotherapy using our online self-referral form
(Please note this is only for the adult Physiotherapy service)

Email us

You can contact us via email with queries about appointments. Please ensure that the email includes:

1. your name
2. date of birth
3. location of your appointment

and send your email to ghn-tr.physiotherapy@nhs.net

Call us

You can also contact us by phone, between 9am – 4pm:

• Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: 0300 422 8527
• Cheltenham General Hospital: 0300 422 3040