Advanced physiotherapy in A&E

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust treats 88,500 Accident and Emergency patients per year.

An advanced physiotherapy practitioner post was established in 2010 for people attending A&E with musculoskeletal injuries to provide holistic assessment, diagnosis and advice for all aspects of their condition.

The role includes ordering and interpreting investigations such as X-rays and blood tests and onward referral for further physiotherapy if required.

Achievements

Evaluation has shown increased service efficiency and care quality:

• patients receive immediate access to expert physiotherapy diagnosis and advice
• waiting times are lower
• reduced need for more expensive medical staff has resulted in cost savings of £32 per patient - a 60% reduction
• patient flow through A&E has improved
• staff have reported better knowledge sharing between members of the multidisciplinary team