Children’s (or paediatric) physiotherapists provide treatment and care to babies, children, and young people from birth to 19 years. They have specialist skills, expert knowledge and experience of childhood development and disabilities.
A children’s physiotherapist will assess a child’s range of movement, strength and current level of function, to identify areas of difficulty or weakness.
About This Service
Gateshead Children’s Physiotherapy Service aims to educate, motivate and facilitate individuals to achieve their optimum movement and function and be able to participate in activities. They do this by creating individually tailored exercise programmes, self-management techniques, and/or the prescription of specialist equipment, such as supportive seating, standing or mobility aids. The service aims to ensure children reach their physical potential, achieve their goals and have an improved quality of life.
There is more information on what the service provides in the Children’s Physiotherapy Service Leaflet.
Who do we see?
This service sees children and young people aged 1-19 years, who are registered with a Gateshead GP who commonly have concerns such as:
- Children with ‘Developmental Delay’
- Children with neuromuscular disorders such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Muscular Dystrophy
- Children under 5 years of age with muscular skeletal conditions including intoeing gait, ‘knock knees’, and tip toe walking.
How To Be Seen By This Service
Your health visitor, school nurse, other health professional or portage team may be able to give you some preliminary advice around your child’s needs. If your child requires further support, referrals into the specialist Children’s Physiotherapy Service are accepted from health professionals such as a GP, Health Visitor or Paediatric Consultant.
What To Expect At Your Appointment
Once your referral has been triaged you will receive an assessment appointment. Assessment may include one or more of the following depending on need identified:
- a home visit
- a nursery or school visit
- a clinic appointment
- a group session (with children with similar needs)
Our clinics and groups are held at:
Dunston Health Centre, Dunston Bank, Dunston, Gateshead, NE11 9PY
What you can expect from us:
We will listen to your concerns and look at your child’s abilities and together decide how best we can help your child.
We will develop a programme specific to the child’s needs. Advice will be given at the end of the assessment as to how you can help your child at home.
We will write to your GP or consultant with the assessment outcome and treatment plan.
What we expect from you:
Your child will need to dress appropriately. Younger children can be assessed in their baby vests or underwear. Older children will probably prefer shorts and T-shirt, which they can wear or bring along to change into.
In order for the child / young person to get the maximum benefit and the best possible outcomes, it is essential that the treatment programme and advice are followed. The key to success is following the plans beyond the appointment, and into everyday life.
Our Team
- Team Lead – Joanne Tunnah
- Physiotherapists – Beth Allan, Megan Cox, Sian Curphey, Maxine Thompson, Sarah Wingfield
- Physiotherapy Assistants – Ian Armstrong, Sharon Sims-Brydon
- Administrator – Adele Rowland
What People Say About This Service
“My child has progressed massively since being referred”.
“I am really happy. My son is almost a teenager and the physiotherapists have adapted his treatment plan to include his passions”.
“Always reachable and ready to provide answers”.
“The exercises are helping”.
Cancelling an appointment
- If you need to cancel or rearrange a child’s appointment, please call the service as soon as possible on 0191 445 3124 between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Please note, cancelling two appointments in a row can lead to the service following the ‘was not brought‘ procedure outlined below.
Child ‘was not brought’ to their health appointment
- Children often do not have a choice about whether or not they are brought to health care appointments; the decisions are usually made by those caring for them. There is evidence to suggest that failure to attend health appointments in the acute and primary care settings can be linked to child neglect in some cases.
- Therefore, this service follows the Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust’s Safeguarding Children Policy, which includes a reporting pathway to our Safeguarding Children Team when a child ‘was not brought‘ to their appointment. Sometimes when a child is not brought, we may also escalate our concerns to Children’s Social Care.
Useful Information
- Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists – Information for parents
- About Children’s Physiotherapy – APCP
- Cerebral Palsy – NHS UK
- CerebralPalsy.Org.Uk
- Leckey Parent Hub
‘Gateshead Local Offer’
The Gateshead Local Offer brings together information for children and young people aged 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
This includes information about services and support, and advice and guidance on education, health, social care and transport.
