Physiotherapy

Do you have a health concern that could be helped by physiotherapy?  You can access physiotherapy services through work well NL.  Find out below what physiotherapy support is available through our occupational health provider VITA Health Group and how to access that support.

Tell me more

The focus of work well NL physiotherapy is on supporting colleagues with preventative measures if the condition is impacting on the their ability to carry out their duties or to assist colleagues back to work as quickly and safely as possible where the condition is impacting on their ability to carry out their duties.

The support is available as a short term intervention, for the treatment of acute conditions, this is intended to complement rather than replace the physiotherapy that is provided through the NHS.

What type of physiotherapy support is available?

The support and treatment that you receive will be primarily work focused but that does not mean that the health condition needs to be work-related. The type of issues that may benefit from physiotherapy include the following:

• bones, joints and soft tissue, such as back pain , neck pain, and shoulder pain
• brain or nervous system, such as movement problems resulting from a stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinsons disease
• heart and circulation, such as rehabilitation after a heart attack
• lungs and breathing, such as chronic pulomonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis

I want to request physiotherapy support

If you feel you may benefit from physiotherapy support please discuss this with your manager.   A managers next step is to make the request through HealthHub, the councils’ online occupational health portal.  Guidance for line managers on how to make a referral for physiotherapy through Health Hub can be found here.

Initial Assessment

When a referral is received a physiotherapist will complete an initial assessment via telephone, followed by a course of follow up sessions if recommended. Not all employees will receive physical treatment and this will be determined by a qualified physiotherapist.

The physiotherapist will contact you via telephone to arrange the appropriate appointment and some additional health questions may be asked.

What might my session involve?

Some of the main approaches used by physiotherapists include:

• Education and advice – physiotherapists can give general advice about things that can affect your daily lives, such as posture and correct lifting or carrying techniques to help prevent injuries
• Movement, tailored exercise and physical activity advice – exercises may be recommended to improve your general health and mobility, and to strengthen specific parts of your body.
• Manual therapy – where the physiotherapist uses their hands to help relieve pain and stiffness, and to encourage better movement of the body

NHS physiotherapy information

If the physiotherapist as part of the triage process determines that there is no work related benefit to you receiving physiotherapy treatment from the council you can access further information on physiotherapy through NHS Lanarkshire physiotherapy .