Member Article

Can physios take pressure off GP services?

GPs are now facing more strain than ever, seeing around 150,000 more patients per day than seven years ago.

A great deal of these appointments act as a referral point to other services, with over 30 per cent of GP appointments being taken up with musculoskeletal injuries. After an assessment from a GP, musculoskeletal injuries are passed over to physiotherapists.

A study by the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapists has found that only one in three clinical commissioning groups in England allows patients to refer themselves for physiotherapy services at this time. This is in contrast to other parts of the UK, such as Scotland, where self-referral for physiotherapy is widely available across the entire country.

The Chartered Association of Physiotherapists has stated that if patients had direct access to physiotherapy services, they could save the NHS thousands of pounds a week, freeing up GPs to spend longer with their patients.

For those suffering from musculoskeletal conditions, physiotherapy is a key part of the recovery process – and quick access to these services is essential.

While some GPs are already working with physiotherapists, this remains something of a postcode lottery. However, both GPs and physiotherapists agree that if direct access is to be rolled out across the country, there is a need for strict regulations to be in place.

Doctor Maureen Baker, the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners has stated that there is a need for ‘better integration and more investment’.

To highlight how much could be saved by direct access to physiotherapy, the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapists has created a cost calculator, which gives an idea of the amount that could be saved.

The Royal College of General Practitioners have stated that ‘self-referral schemes would create much-needed capacity for primary care, as well as saving millions of pounds for the NHS.’

A tool has been created by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, which allows members to demonstrate the savings that can be made by employing physiotherapists as a first point of contact in primary care.

The data that is used to demonstrate these savings has been put together by the Personal Social Services Research Unit, which shows the hourly costs of GPs and physiotherapists.

Saving time and money isn’t the only benefit of implementing physiotherapy into primary care. Allowing people to self-refer puts them in control of their own health, leading them to feel more empowered.

Providing a more holistic service is also beneficial in ensuring that patients have good overall levels of well-being, which can prevent them from requiring repeated access to primary care services and reducing hospital admissions.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by On Medical .