16 Mar 2021
Private Physiotherapy Providers Reducing the Strain on NHS During Pandemic
Here at Speed Medical, we can support our NHS for treatment such as physiotherapy, appointments for which have become more necessary due to working from home.
Unprecedented strains on the NHS have been well publicised of late, as the seemingly daunting implications of the coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on the health service provider. The knock-on effect for a host of non-urgent surgery types and outpatient appointments having been the subject of much debate.
Subsequently, a significant percentage of patient referrals and procedures have been taken up by the private sector, as a means of alleviating the cumulative pressures faced by the NHS during these particularly challenging times.
Clinical staff have been made available by private healthcare providers to help shoulder the burden during the pandemic, as the unofficial call for service expansions grew in tandem with the rapid increase in NHS hospital admissions for patients suffering from the serious effects of a rampant virus.
Occupational Health-based Benefits from Employees Being Able to Access Private Providers
One such field of privately offered medical expertise which has seen a noted uptake as NHS waiting lists have extended across many departments because of the Covid-19 impact, is that of physiotherapy.
Amongst the various outpatient services which have been hit hard by the pandemic, a shortage of physiotherapy appointments has materialised just when additional demand for them is at its height.
The effective opening of the private healthcare sector to accommodate individuals who might otherwise see their wait for physio pushed back indefinitely, is certainly a triumph for both parties.
Yet the undoubted winners in this cross-sector team effort are employees who have been seen by physiotherapists much sooner than they would have been. While their employers will welcome having their staff back in business as soon as is physically possible in the aftermath of posture-derived strains and injuries.
Why Is Getting Fast-tracked for Physiotherapy So Important?
From a patient/employee’s perspective, the quicker they receive a consultation and prognosis, the quicker they can begin their physiotherapy sessions, putting them on the road to physical recovery much sooner than if they had to join ever-increasing NHS waiting lists.
The upshot of this being, the sooner employees can make a swift return to work if their injuries are preventing them from performing their normal employment tasks and fulfilling the remits of their role.
Why Might Physiotherapy Referrals Become More Commonplace During and after the COVID-19 Pandemic?
As successive national lockdowns have been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus within community settings, accompanying it, a rise in homeworking has been acknowledged. A directive enforced by the government to reduce risks of viral spread in workplace settings.
As more and more employees have had to fashion home-based workstations to carry out their jobs remotely, there’s been a recognised escalation of employees sustaining a variety of aches, strains and injuries. Some of which have been brought on by adopting bad postures in unfamiliar, and often makeshift employment scenarios. Back, neck and shoulders bearing the physical brunt of employee workplace transitions this past 12 months.
The Solution?
Using a dedicated private healthcare provider like Speed Medical to arrange your employees’ physiotherapy referrals means that they’ll actively avoid NHS waiting lists and times to be seen. Which in itself will drastically minimise the potential period that they’re unable to work as a direct result of an injury caused by incorrect posture away from a traditional office environment.
Physiotherapy, along with other rehabilitation provisions, delay - and essentially prevent - long-term health deterioration, together with maintaining independence, keeping people away from hospitals and ultimately supporting the country back to work.
With thousands of physiotherapy providers nationwide, our network of clinical experts will ensure employees return to their best health in the quickest time possible.
