South Central

Cauda equine syndrome (CES) is a medical emergency, requiring immediate referral for investigation and early surgical decompression for a favourable outcome (1). Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (SHFT) musculoskeletal services manage suspected CES with immediate referral to accident and emergency (A&E) at the University of Southampton NHS Trust (UHS) where urgent imaging and surgical decompression can take place.

This evaluation aimed to describe the demographics and clinical features of referred patients, plus summarise the medical management and clinical outcome following A&E examination.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) committed to a Stroke Quality Improvement (QI) Project to enhance the quality of rehabilitation for patients on the Oxfordshire Stroke Pathway. Following poor performance in the national indicators Sentinel Stroke National Audit Program (SSNAP) and local Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the Stroke Quality meeting was initiated by the physiotherapy team to review care and develop a multi-professional improvement plan. Aligning service provision with that recommended in the 2016 Royal College of Physicians National Stroke Guidelines required consolidation of two stroke units, 14 miles apart, into one specialist stroke rehabilitation ward. This abstract outlines key objectives of the QI project, describe progress to date, and evaluates the impact on quality delivery and patient outcomes so far. The objective is to share positive experiences and challenges encountered during the project.

The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is a multidisciplinary assessment that identifies the medical, psychosocial, and functional needs of older people. This service evaluation considers the impact of training allied health professionals (AHPs) and community nurses to undertake a CGA assessment in primary and community settings.

Impaired mobility and balance correlate strongly with an individual's function and overall state of health. The Hierarchical Assessment of Balance and Mobility (HABAM) is a graphic and rapid assessment of balance and mobility originally designed for use within the hospitalised elderly. The measure has been used predominantly within frail elderly populations; however the aims of this study were to assess the utility of the HABAM to an elective orthopaedic population.

To evaluate the management of Paediatric back pain in the physiotherapy led clinic at Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust by evaluating patient experience having a physiotherapist as 'first contact' (through questionnaire) and evaluating outcomes (measured by MYMOP and Roland Morris scores)

The Department of Heath estimate that 62% of hospital bed days are occupied by patients over the age of 65. Of these bed days 2.7 million are occupied by patients no longer needing or not requiring acute care in the first place. Of those who are admitted unnecessarily, the Emergency Department (ED) is often where the decision to admit is made. Furthermore, the longer a patient spends in the ED the longer their associated inpatient stay in the hospital will likely be, with the risk of losing up to 5% of their muscle strength per day.

During May and June 2016 the Emergency Care Improvement Programme (ECIP) reviewed Urgent and Emergency Care at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (BNHH). This was due to reduced ED performance. BNHH did not have an established dedicated Therapy team in ED, despite national evidence and ECIP recommendations. Therapies are well placed in ED to facilitate early patient discharge and help prevent admission of patients who do not require acute hospital care. The project aimed to eliminate avoidable non-medical admissions to inpatient base ward beds in patients over 65 years presenting to ED at BNHH by September 2017.

The primary objective for sharing our activity via a Special Interest Report is to illustrate the need for independent measurable compliance of all physiotherapy services against HCPC and CSP Regulations and Standards.

Currently the HCPC re registration focus is on continuous professional development and the Care Quality Commission does not have jurisdiction to regulate standalone physiotherapy services: Therefore, all other regulatory checking is undertaken and reliant on the individual alone. The secondary objective of is to encourage physiotherapists to consider in depth and ensure they appreciate what are they stating, what they agree they are doing when they reregister and sign to state that they comply with all standards and regulations? Could auditing prove that this was the case and, if not, then why are they signing?

To explore the impact of putting senior clinicians at the bedside with clinical expertise in their speciality to improve quality of patient care. This role was introduced at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (HHFT) in 2016, whilst mainly undertaken by senior nurses, 2 physiotherapists and an occupational therapist have also undertaken the role. This presentation explores the impact of physiotherapists undertaking such roles.

The aim of the service evaluation was to assess the impact of a 6 week general rehabilitation class has on patient functional and pain experience outcomes.

Haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by recurrent bleeding into muscles and joints with longer term effects including synovial hypertrophy and destruction of the articular cartilage. The national service specification for haemophilia states that 'specialist physiotherapists trained in line with the Haemophilia Chartered Physiotherapists Association' (HCPA) should be a part of haemophilia services. Despite this, there is huge variability in funded, protected hours for physiotherapists working in this area across the UK. Implications of inadequate physiotherapy provision for these patients is far reaching, including increased bleeds and subsequent joint damage for patients, increased factor costs, and increased pressure on haemophilia doctors. One of the key objectives of the HCPA is to establish core principles of care, determine the levels of service provision and improve physiotherapy services for people with haemophilia in the UK.