HULL : Triumphant Team Wins General Practice Award

A team from Hull beat stiff competition to win an award for their innovative work with Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSK) and Physiotherapy.

HealthshareHull, commissioned by NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), won the General Practice Award for their pioneering work to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ of services for people who live with musculoskeletal disorders.

“Musculoskeletal disorders can be very complex,” Karen Billany, Head of Acute Care at the CCG, said, “They usually affect the muscles, tendons, nerves and the body’s movement system. People often live with pain or discomfort and a patient may need to see many different specialists and clinicians in their lifetime.

“HealthshareHull was challenged to find a one-stop-shop approach which would offer patients a choice in their service, as well as the ability to self-refer. They haven’t just succeeded, they’ve excelled and we couldn’t be happier to see them recognised with this award.”

Patients have been linked, through their primary care, to a number of other services including: orthopaedics, pain-management, rheumatology and community leisure services, where patients can exercise and improve their condition.

There are now two hub-sites in Hull where patients can be assessed, scanned and then treated in a single visit, if appropriate.

The HealthshareHull team moved patients in to a self-referral system, helping to reduce the burden on GP practices. Patients are now able to discuss their problem with a highly specialised physiotherapist, where they can get initial advice. They are then booked into an appropriate clinic.

On average 500 patients call every month for advice regarding their MSK condition.

Alongside self-referral, patients are now encouraged and supported to self-manage their conditions. Advice is provided online and physical classes were set up for people with a variety of MSK complaints, this includes Pilates and rehabilitation support at local leisure services.

Ellen Calder, Operations Director of HealthshareHull, commented:

“We are very proud to accept this award as recognition for the hard work and dedication of the whole team in Hull.”

“We are particularly pleased that these services are so successful when developed and operated by physiotherapists; we are keen to prove that putting physiotherapists at the centre of developing services in the current NHS climate generates great clinical care for patients with innovative and efficient solutions for commissioners.”