Local MP Stephen Lloyd has visited the physiotherapy department at Eastbourne DGH to meet with physiotherapists and see the varied aspects of their work.
Stephen Lloyd with physiotherapy staff, Kate Dick Professional Lead Physiotherapist (second left from Stephen Lloyd)
Around 170 physiotherapists work across the Trust with 70 of them working specifically in the Eastbourne area. Physiotherapists provide therapy in acute hospital services like critical care, stroke and neurology and provide outpatient services for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. They work within integrated teams in the community to prevent admission to hospital and early discharge from hospital as well as providing rehabilitation for people in community settings.
Stephen Lloyd MP said: “A number of my friends have used our local physiotherapy service recently, both at the hospital and in the community, and speak really highly of them. It was a pleasure to see for myself just how much they do; from inpatients, to the well-known hydrotherapy pool, outpatients to helping those with arthritis, back and knee pain – it’s just astonishing the reach physiotherapists have with so many of us. Meeting the Heads of Department, Kate, Helen and Neil and many of their team was hugely enlightening. We are blessed in our town with an outstanding physio service which is something I am very grateful for.”
He added “The massive increases in demand with an ever growing number of us using physio are huge, but I am confident our brilliant local physiotherapists will meet the challenges successfully. A great bunch of people.”
Kate Dick, Professional Lead Physiotherapist said: “We welcomed the opportunity to explain to Stephen the wide variety of work physiotherapists undertake across both the hospital and in the community. Like many services, physiotherapy is facing a year on year increase in demand and we were able to share with him some of our plans to meet this challenge in the future. Another challenge for us is that of recruitment and retention of physiotherapists which is we are addressing by forging improved links with Brighton University, developing innovative roles across the Trust for physiotherapists and investing in the health and wellbeing of our workforce.”