The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has had a long running campaign for direct patient access to NHS physiotherapy without a GP referral first and this has been trialled very successfully in many areas of the country. Currently there is beginning to be the signs of a move towards having a physio inside of a GP surgery so that patients can go straight to a physio for assessment for musculoskeletal problems. So, I thought it might be a good idea to look at when and why you might want to see a physio rather than a GP.

Before we begin, in this article we will only be discussing direct access to physiotherapy for musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, muscle strains and bad shoulders etc. Clearly if you have a cough, cold or general feeling of unwellness etc the GP is the person to see!

So, why might it be better so see a physiotherapist in a surgery rather than see a GP? Well ...

1. Physiotherapists are Specialists

GP stands for General Practice, which means that your average GP has to know an enormous amount of information about an incredibly wide range of pathologies and problems. They are not expected to be and are not experts at diagnosing the causes and prescribing the correct rehab or treatment for musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain or rotator cuff tears. Most patients I see who have been to the GP for a bad back or some other such problem do not expect the GP to know what to do, in fact they generally just want referring to physiotherapy! So, it seems reasonable to allow patients to choose to directly see a physio if they wish.

My experience is that many patients are reluctant to see a GP for musculoskeletal problems as they don't think they can do anything and it will take an age to get referred through to physiotherapy. Finally, many patients come to me with a "diagnosis" from a GP and although often these diagnoses are accurate there are also many occurrences where the GP's opinion is wide of the mark and it takes a significant amount of time to disavow the patient of the "diagnosis".

One thing I do want to be clear about is that none of this is intended in anyway as an attack or slight upon GPs. They do an amazing job, under incredible pressure and are expected to know vast volumes of information on an incredible range of topics and perform a safe consultation in less than 10 minutes!!! All I am attempting to do here is highlight that possibly there is a better way for our GPs to be spending their time.

2. It frees up GP time

GPs see lots of people every week who have musculoskeletal problems such as a bad neck, if all of these people were seen by a physiotherapist at the practice instead of the GP it would free up huge amounts of time for the doctors to be seeing other patients.

In many practices it is incredibly difficult to get an appointment with a GP due to them being swamped with patients. Having direct access to a physiotherapist would significantly reduce this burden.

3. It's Cheaper!

To be blunt physiotherapists are not as well paid as GPs and therefore utilising physios for patients with musculoskeletal disorders who would have been seen by a GP previously will save money for the NHS. It also makes sense that in terms of value for money for the NHS, GPs should be doing what they are good at (diagnosing serious illnesses and managing patients with medical problems) rather than things which their training ill equips them for (assessing back pain).

I for one really hope that direct access to a physiotherapist at each GP surgery across the country eventually becomes a reality and that patients feel that their General Practice surgery can offer them something useful for musculoskeletal disorders rather than simply a place on a waiting list for physiotherapy.

For anyone reading this blog who hasn't come across our site before: we are a home visit physiotherapy service, based in Lichfield but serving anywhere within a 25 minute drive including areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Burton and Rugeley. We offer a wide range of services including paediatric physiotherapy, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological physiotherapy and neck and back pain relief. If you need further information or would like to book an appointment we can be contacted on 0788 428 1623 or viaenquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk