Who should I refer for Physiotherapy?

GTG staff are available to discuss whether physiotherapy can help,  either via telephone or in person when they visit your surgery or clinic.

Pre-referral

If you would like to discuss a physiotherapy referral, even at pre-referral stage, about the best course of action please do not hesitate to contact GTG, where the admin team will put you in touch with the physiotherapist who would be best suited to help you.

Support and Advice

GTG staff are also available to provide support, advice and education to anyone that may wish to make contact with them.

Signposting

It might be that the physiotherapist feels they may not be the best person to help, but they will be able to provide advice on who to signpost to for an alternative source of help.

Assessment or Physiotherapy Opinion

It may be agreed, following a discussion, that a physiotherapy assessment is required to help provide information on options for treatment or diagnosis of the presenting problem.

Referring Patients

Traditionally referrals have been required for all patients accessing physiotherapy services. Most referrers have created a system that works for them in referring patients to GTG for physiotherapy. However if you feel you would like to review the way referrals are made, or discuss who will benefit from a referral, please do not hesitate to contact the physiotherapy team.

Self-referral

Arrangements are now in place for certain patient groups to access physiotherapy by referring themselves. This allows patients who require physiotherapy to contact GTG directly and book themselves in for an assessment. This also allows the physiotherapy service to be more responsive to patients who require assessment and treatment,  and means that patients can book an appointment for when suits them best.

Patients who can access services by referring themselves will usually be aware of this as they will have had a conversation with a GTG physiotherapist previously, either at discharge of a previous episode of care or following contact to see if physiotherapy will be of use for them.

If patients require follow up appointments for further treatment after an initial physiotherapy assessment,  patients will be invited to make their own appointments thereafter.

Early referral

Evidence shows that patients who receive physiotherapy in the early stages of their presenting problem, or on diagnosis of a new long-term condition, are likely to have improved outcomes.

In some cases a referral may not be required and instead reassurance, support and advice at a pre-referral stage may effectively manage the problem. Education about when to contact the physiotherapists if the problem does not resolve can help the patient and potential referrer to know at what time a referral should be made if it is required.

Please contact GTG if you would like to find out if you, or a patient you are thinking of referring, will benefit from physiotherapy. The staff at GTG will be happy to discuss it with you.

Understanding the Patients Story

Help us to help patients. Knowing the patients story and understanding their journey, the impact on them, their understanding of the situation and what they feel may help or what has helped in the past can be extremely useful in helping patients in the most effective way. This also helps us to tailor any input to the individual’s specific needs and take in to consideration what is important or the priority for that particular patient.

Knowing what the patient would like to change or what they would like support or help with is key in effective clinical decision making and achieving an outcome that the patient and referrer are satisfied with.

Any information that can be provided at the referral or pre-referral stage, relating to the patients story and their wishes and needs, will always be exceptionally useful and allow the GTG team to provide a truly patient centred physiotherapy service, where the patient really is at the heart of all decisions and treatment provided.

Ways GTG can support you

GTG are available to provide free support for any health professional to improve health and wellbeing of the population in Guernsey.

We are keen to work with any organisation, team or individual to improve health and healthcare in Guernsey.

We want to help Guernsey:

• Support prevention of ill health and promote healthy lifestyles and improvement of health and wellbeing.
• Improve access for referrers to refer people to the Physiotherapy services provided by GTG.
• Work collaboratively with anyone who is directly involved in helping patients, and families/carers of patients that we are providing services to.

Our aim is to support and work with anyone including:

• People who use our services.
• Primary Care (including GP’s, other primary care based Physiotherapists).
• Secondary Care (including Consultants, Specialist Nurses, Allied Health Professionals).
• Community services.
• Commissioners and planners of healthcare.

Shaping Healthcare

GTG actively support any initiatives or changes that will have a positive influence on shaping the future of healthcare in Guernsey.

GTG welcome developments and changes in healthcare that are designed to best meet people’s needs and provide value for money quality services. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions or thoughts on this.

Training and Support

If there is any training or support that you feel GTG could offer you or your organisation, whether you are a sporting club, care home or individual who has a question please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to provide what we think might be of benefit, or put you in contact with someone who will be able to help.

Questions?

If you have a specific question that is not covered here please e-mail us at info@guernseytherapygroup.com