Effective teamwork is extremely important in health and social care. There is a plethora of evidence to support this! All practitioners must work together for the best outcomes and they must do this by keeping the patient in the centre of the team.

At Severn Physiotherapy LLP we are experienced and passionate about collaborative, patient-centred care. During every visit we consider how to help holistically, spending time collaborating with the right people to optimise the quality of life for each patient. This is different for each patient, depending on their individual goals, medical status and social situation.

Our physiotherapists often recommend regular home visits for exercise, to help people perform their exercises safely and to maintain motivation. Sometimes it is appropriate for a fitness instructor to offer these sessions once the physiotherapist has assessed. The physiotherapist remains in close contact with the patient, their family and the fitness instructor. But the instructor can sometimes offer more regular visits and focus on the exercises whilst the physiotherapist can help with some of the wider, medical aspects of care.

Sharing care in this way means that the patient can build relationships with more than one person but still have consistency. The knowledge and skills of the physiotherapist can help direct the exercises, whilst the motivational and physical skills of the fitness instructor helps people adhere to achieving their goals and keep sessions varied and fun.

This is an excellent example of collaborative working to benefit patients in our community. RMR Rehabilitation and Severn Physiotherapy LLP offer this form of collaborative care in Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and around Taunton.

More on RMR Rehabilitation and some case studies in our next blog…