Attending your physio appointment

Your child may be offered a course of group sessions. Your child's goals and outcomes for this course will be discussed with a therapist.

This is an opportunity for you and your child to meet other families with similar abilities. 

Between sessions, we expect your child to continue the activities taught at home. 

The goals and outcomes will be reviewed at the end of your child's sessions. 

This clinic is for any children and young people who are experiencing motor coordination difficulties.

You will be first asked to access our coordination and motor skills online learning which gives targeted advice/support for schools, community groups, families and carers. If after accessing the online resources and trying these strategies for 3 - 6 months, you still feel the child/young person would benefit from further input from an Occupational Therapist and/or Physiotherapist; an appointment can be offered.  

We will ask for you to fill out the goal setting paperwork prior to your appointment so that the assessment and advice can be focused on what you and your child would like to achieve from the session

Referrals

Referrals will be considered from a Paediatrician, School, GP or other relevant healthcare professional.  The Movement ABC Checklist, completed by school and parents, must accompany the referral.

When your child will be seen

Your child will be offered an appointment at the earliest available opportunity after referral.

Where we deliver clinics

You will be seen in clinic at the Peacock Centre in Cambridge and The Oak Tree Centre in Huntingdon

What happens at the assessment

At your appointment we will discuss your child’s goals and any areas of concern or difficulty.

The assessments are often carried out through play so we can observe your child in a relaxed environment. Part of the assessment will be looking at how they move and coordinate their body between positions, the other will look at some table top activities and functional day to day tasks i.e. shoelaces, cutlery, and handwriting.

During appointment children should wear shorts and ideally a close fitting t-shirt/vest top. This will enable the therapist to clearly observe and assess their upper and lower limb movement along with their posture.

What will happen following the assessment

A report is written following the assessment. Copies of the reports are sent to you/your child and the referring professional. We will ask your permission to share information with other professionals that are involved with your child care, as appropriate, to help best meet your child’s needs.

We will discuss with you any physiotherapy or occupational therapy recommendations, advice and strategies that can be implemented into their day to day life to help them achieve their goals. Onward referrals to other services can be made as indicated, dependent on the outcome of the assessment.

Following this advice you will be discharged and are encouraged to continue to work on the strategies provided using the advice from the online resource and individual assessment.  On occasions, further appointments may be offered if a clinical need is identified by the therapist(s) to do so.

We are not a diagnostic service for Development Co-ordination Disorder.

This is a multidisciplinary team (MDT) appointment with a Paediatrician, physiotherapist and/or Occupational therapist and any other health professional involved with child’s care if there presence is required. This is in a clinic setting unless your child attends a special school, where it may be held at their school. 

When your child will be seen

Your child will be seen during MDT clinic usually once a year if it is required. 

What happens at the appointment

At your appointment a paediatrician will discuss your child’s health, any areas of concern and make sure that all health and therapy needs of your child are being met.

We will discuss with you your child and family's goals, recommendations and a plan going forward.

A therapist will do a physical assessment of your child through observation and placing their hands on to feel how the body moves and responds. We can also check joints range of movement and functional abilities to discuss further goals and update advice accordingly. 

The purpose of the physical examination during the MDT clinic appointment is to:

• assess your child’s functional abilities and difficulties
• assess the type and severity of the difficulty
• monitor joints range of movement to prevent excessive tightness
• agree goals and actions needed

What will happen following the appointment

A report is usually written by paediatrician after the MDT clinic appointment. Copies of the reports are sent to you/your child, school and other professionals involved in child’s care. We will ask your permission to share information with other professionals that are involved with your child care, as appropriate, to help best meet your child’s needs.

We will discuss with you of any physiotherapy recommendations, and agree an individual management plan, and any referrals to any other services which we feel may help your child. We will also discuss/plan further physiotherapy appointments to review progress and update advice.

This clinic involves a Specialist Children’s Community Physiotherapist from our team, a Community Paediatrician and an Orthopaedic Surgeon from Addenbrooke’s Hospital.  Your child may be referred into this clinic where surgical options are being considered and decision-making requires a multi-disciplinary approach alongside your family. 

This clinic is a regional clinic so will see children and young people in Cambridgeshire and from the rest of the East of England.

Referrals

Referral into this clinic may be made by your child’s treating therapist, their community paediatrician or by the orthopaedic team if your child is already known to them where they would value a multi-professional discussion with you about what might be best for your child.

When your child will be seen

Your child will be offered an appointment at the earliest available opportunity after referral.

When and where we deliver clinics

This clinic runs monthly on a Thursday. Children and young people referred to this clinic will be seen at the Child Development Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. 

What happens at the clinic

At your appointment we will discuss your child’s strengths, any areas of concern and your expectations of the appointment.

We will do a physical assessment of your child and may ask you to take your child for an x-ray while you are there, or at a later stage.

If your child has had an x-ray, we will discuss the findings with you alongside what we have found from the physical assessment and your discussion about concerns.

We will discuss recommendations and agree a goal and plan going forwards. 

If surgery is agreed upon or recommended, we will discuss with you what this means in terms of hospital stays, post-operative management, equipment needs and rehabilitation after the operation.  You will always be offered time to consider what has been said and additional opportunity to discuss any proposed surgery if you think of more questions at a later stage.

What  will happen following the joint orthopaedic clinic

You will receive a letter following the clinic which details the findings and the agreed plan following the appointment.  This will usually be copied to your GP, your community paediatrician and your therapist.

The therapist in the clinic will liaise with your child’s therapist regarding the agreed plan from the clinic.  Please do contact your child’s therapist if you have any questions/concerns and they will try to help you get any answers you need.

An orthosis is a device that is placed in a shoe to improve the foot position and aid walking.

On occasion we may ring you at short notice to try to fill any cancellation slots. Please make sure the department has your up to date contact details.

Do not buy new shoes for your child's appointment. It is best to buy new shoes once your child has been supplied with the orthosis. Please bring their current pair of shoes as this will enable the orthotist/physiotherapist to see how your child has been walking.

Referrals

Your child will be placed on a waiting list, and an appointment will be sent to you in the post. We aim to see all children within 18 weeks of their referral.

What happens at the clinic

The Orthotics Service assesses your child’s foot posture and walking, then provides support in the form of a heel cup (insole) or AFO (splint) if required. Your child will be assessed by an orthotist and a physiotherapist.

The assessment will not be uncomfortable for your child. Your child may feel a stretch when being assessed.

Please allow 30 to 45 minutes depending on the type of appointment.

What will happen following the appointment

Your child may be given an orthosis at their first appointment or they may have to come back for a fitting appointment. This is usually between 2-4 weeks from the date of your child’s first appointment.

Your child’s community physiotherapist may have spoken to you about a splint. If your child requires a splint, this can be also called an AFO, a cast will be taken of their leg so the splint can be custom made for them. They will be able to choose the colour pattern of the splint.

This clinic involves attending an appointment with a Specialist Children’s Community Physiotherapist and Therapy Assistant from our service. This is rotated, therefore the therapists will change from clinic to clinic. At times a student will be present and your consent for them to attend the appointment will be obtained. 

Prior to your appointment, we would like you to spend time with your child or young person, thinking about their physical goals they would like to achieve. 

The clinic involves a physical assessment including the use of standardised outcome measures to monitor function, to identify any changes and to check the effectiveness of physiotherapy management. The standardised assessments used will ideally be the best reflection of the child or young person’s physical needs, alongside their physical goals. These could include assessments of posture, gross motor/functional assessments or assessment of your child or young person's walking pattern or timed walking tests.

When your child will be seen

Your child should be reviewed in this clinic approximately annually unless a different time scale has been agreed.

What happens at the clinic

At your appointment we will discuss your child’s overall health needs, their strengths, progress and any potential changes or any areas of concern relevant to your child or young person.

We will discuss with you your child and family's goals, recommendations and a plan going forward.

We will then complete a physical assessment of your child including a standardised outcome measure identified following discussion with your child or young person's treating therapist and the discussion with you in the appointment. The physical assessment and outcome measure used will be the most relevant and clinically indicated based on individual need.

We will discuss the findings of the assessment with you at the end of the appointment and your concerns. We will make recommendations and agree with you a plan going forwards.

What will happen following the outcomes clinic

The physiotherapist in the clinic will discuss the findings from the physical assessment and provide some guidance/recommendation’s regarding management where appropriate.

You will receive a letter following the clinic which details the findings and the agreed plan following the appointment.  This will usually be copied to your GP, school (with your consent) and your therapist.

The therapist in the clinic will liaise with your child’s therapist regarding the agreed plan from the clinic.  Please do contact your child’s therapist if you have any questions/concerns and they will try to help you get any answers you need.

This clinic involves a Specialist Children’s Community Physiotherapist from our team and a Community Paediatrician from Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Your child may be referred into this clinic where tone management options are being considered and decision-making requires a multi-disciplinary approach alongside your family. 

This clinic is a regional clinic so will see children and young people in Cambridgeshire and from the rest of the East of England.

Referrals

Referral into this clinic may be made by your child’s treating therapist, their community paediatrician or by the orthopaedic team if your child is already known to them where they would value a multi-professional discussion with you about what might be best for your child.

When your child will be seen

Your child will be offered an appointment at the earliest available opportunity after referral. The clinic is managed by Addenbrooke's Hospital. 

When and where we deliver clinics

This clinic runs fortnightly. Children and young people referred to this clinic will be seen at the Child Development Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. 

What happens at the clinic

At your appointment we will discuss your child’s strengths, any areas of concern and your expectations of the appointment.

We will do a physical assessment of your child.

We will discuss recommendations and agree a goal and plan going forwards. 

If intervention is agreed or recommended, we will discuss with you what this means in terms of follow up care. This may include therapy management, serial casting, orthotics provision, 

You will always be offered time to consider what has been said and additional opportunity to discuss any proposed intervention if you think of more questions at a later stage.

What  will happen following the clinic

You will receive a letter after the clinic which details the findings and the agreed plan following the appointment. This will usually be copied to your GP, your community paediatrician and your therapist.

The therapist in the clinic will liaise with your child’s therapist regarding the agreed plan from the clinic.  Please do contact your child’s therapist if you have any questions/concerns and they will try to help you get any answers you need.