What is physiotherapy?
The children’s physiotherapy team provides services for children and young people with symptoms and conditions that limit their physical movement, abilities, development and function.
When your child is referred to our team, we will review the information to determine if the referral is accepted for physiotherapy assessment and identify which stream is most appropriate. If accepted, the referral will be placed on a waiting list, and you will be contacted by the admin hub to arrange an appointment when one is available. At the appointment a full assessment will be completed with a qualified physiotherapist. Our clinics take place at the Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health.
As a team, we run four different streams:
- Musculoskeletal clinics are for children between 0 - 16 years old who may be experiencing an injury after sustaining a fracture or for unexplained pain relating to movement or activity.
- Special schools: We currently provide the physiotherapy input at Lindon Bennett, Oaklands and Marjory Kinnon, which are the Borough’s specialist education settings. We also assess for and provide specialist equipment such as specialist seating, standing frames, walkers and orthotics.
- Under 5’s clinics for children aged 0-5 years who have difficulties with their gross motor development and gait issues. Therapy sessions predominantly take place in the clinic but may, on occasion, also be completed at home or in the Nursery.
- Over 5’s clinics for children over five years of age who have difficulties with their gross motor skills and gait issues.
There are also situations where we go to a child’s school to assess or treat and provide support to the wider educational team that works with the child.
Once you have had your assessment, if physiotherapy is felt to be required, it is likely that your physiotherapist will advise you on what exercises or activities you can do to help support your child. You may also be referred to one of our treatment groups or to other professionals.
We also offer a selection of multi-therapy and physiotherapy lead groups for children of all ages. Your allocated physiotherapist will be able to give you more information about these groups and refer you to relevant ones.
We run clinics to carry out the CPIP (Cerebral Palsy Integrated Pathway) Hip surveillance programme for children at risk of hip displacement.
We also run orthotics clinics with the John Florence orthotics team at the Heart of Hounslow Centre.
We are based at the Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health, alongside our Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Community Paediatrician colleagues.
Initial appointment = 3-6 months.
We apologise for the impact this wait may have on your child and family at this time. Please be assured that we are working hard to reduce these waiting times.
These delays are due to:
- demand exceeding capacity – we are liaising with Commissioners
- staff recruitment
Resources
The Starting2Move Project is led by APCP to support movement for all, from the very beginning of life. Please click on this link for ideas and resources on how you can get your child moving to progress their gross motor development.
The Early Years Movement Hub | Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (csp.org.uk)
Click the links below to download leaflets and find out more:
- Action for Kids. Acton for kids is a charity that helps young people with physical and learning disabilities across the country find greater levels of independence and opportunity through the provision of mobility aids, employability training and family support.
- Always look on the Bright Side of Life Charitable Trust. Grants to make children smile. The trust awards one off grants to children in need for activities/ items (not household)/trips that children’s families are unable to afford. The child must be disadvantaged due to financial circumstances, disability/ill health or other category.
- Boparan Charitable Trust. The Boparan Charitable Trust aims to help children and young people up to the age of 18, throughout the UK, who are disadvantaged either through poverty, disability or life-limiting conditions.
- Bruce Wake Charitable Trust. Equipment for leisure/activities for physically disabled wheelchair users. Applications on behalf of individuals will only be accepted through a charitable organisation or equivalent recognised body.
- Cash for Kids. Cash for Kids is Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which operate across 22 areas around the UK. Our mission is to respond to the needs of children in our communities, and we aspire to enable all children to live life to the full and achieve their individual potential.
- Cauldwell Children. Offers a range of support to children with disabilities including family support, short breaks equipment, treatment and therapies. You can apply direct and the process is straightforward.
- Children Today. Children today encourage applicants, usually parents, to come to them for funding and other services on a regular basis as their child’s needs change. Hopefully, this will continue as they grow and develop, gaining more independence and an improving quality of life that is also shared by all those around them. They will continue receiving support until the child reaches the age of 25 years.
- Cerebra. Cerebra is a unique national charity that strives to improve the lives of children with neurological conditions, through research, information and direct, on-going support.
- Disability Grants. Disability Grants is a web resource which has been set up for people with disabilities and for parents/carers of disabled people. There is a wealth of information on this site to help you find suitable funding, including blogs and forums to help you get a heads up from others who have gone through this process.
- Dreams Come True. Dreams Come True is a UK children’s charity. Their mission is to enrich the lives of children and young people with serious and life-limiting conditions across the country by making their dreams come true. Over the last 25 years they have fulfilled dreams for more than 5,000 children and young people as well as their friends, family and carers.
- Florence Nightingale Aid in Sickness Trust. The Florence Nightingale Aid in Sickness Trust provides life enhancing grants to help people of all ages in need who are ill, convalescent or disabled.
- Family Fund. Will look at any grant request that relates to the needs of a disabled or seriously ill child, young person and their family. If you are raising a disabled or seriously ill child, the family fund may be able to help with a grant for household items, equipment, sensory toys, a family break or something to help with college for 16/17 year olds. You can apply as a parent carer, or agencies can apply on their behalf.
- Happy Days Children's Charity. The charity supports families with children aged 3-17 who have learning difficulties, physical or mental disabilities, acute, chronic or life limiting illnesses, been abused or neglected, witnessed domestic violence, been bereaved or act as carers for a parent or a sibling. Eligible applicants can apply for the costs of the following activities: Day trips/theatre trips/theatre workshops and group activity holidays.
- Just 4 Children. Just 4 Children is passionate about the relief of sickness and prevention of health of children in the UK and Ireland by providing and assisting in the provision of grants to enable them to obtain medical treatment, therapies, living environments, equipment and holidays which would not otherwise be available to them.
- Newlife Charity. Newlife is the UK's largest charity funder of children's specialist disability equipment. We also run the UK's only national emergency equipment service, for terminally ill children. Newlife Nurses support thousands of families, we campaign for policy change and we fund targeted medical research, to improve child health.
- The Family Holiday Association (FHA). Supports families on a low income, that have not been on holiday for the past four years and have at least one child between three and 18 years of age can obtain financial support for a break during 2016 and 2017. The FHA can only accept applications from referring agents (such as a teacher, social worker or health visitor, etc) and not directly from families. The website also has a great resource page which lists other charities and trusts that can support holidays and short breaks
- Tree of Hope. Tree of hope is the crowdfunding charity that helps children and young people with a disability or illness by supporting their families to raise the money they need to pay for specialist care that is not freely available through the UK healthcare system.
- Turn2us. A fantastic website that offers help and information for anyone experiencing financial hardship or debt problems, or who is looking for funding to support an individual need within the family such as a short break. It has a grant and benefits search engine which can be tailored to meet your requirements including locality, and a phone helpline that is free to call and gives you access to trained staff who can talk you through your options. The service is available to individuals and organisations acting on their behalf.
- Whizz-Kidz. This charity provide equipment, support and life skills for disabled children. Creating independence to live a life of freedom at home, at school and at play and the independence to be themselves.
- Whizz Kids - provide equipment, support and life skills for disabled children.
- Companion Cycling in Bushy Park – Based in bushy park this group run inclusive cycling session for all ages and levels of ability
- Riding for the Disabled Association – A national group for inclusive horse riding
- Park Lane stables (RDA) - Their horses and ponies provide invaluable therapy, achievement and enjoyment to people with disabilities in and around London
- Specialist swimming teachers – Teddington pool are able to offer both accesses to public sessions in for families use their hydrotherapy pool, as well as 1:1 swimming lessons for children with additional needs.
- Wheelchair basketball – Richmond’s well established and successful wheelchair basketball team - The Knights
- RISE – hosting regular inclusive sporting events in the Richmond area for children to come along and try a new sport, as well as running a variety of inclusive sports groups from football, yoga, golf, and dancing
- British Paralympic Association – This website provides details about a huge variety of national inclusive sports opportunities.
- CP Sport – a national charity that promotes and supports sporting opportunities for people with cerebral palsy
- English Federation of Disability Sport
- Phyz Swimming is a support group that allows parents/carers to use the Hydrotherapy Pool at Teddington Pool
Visit the website for a list of all the events, activities, talks, workshops, clinic & therapies they have coming up.
Richmond Parent Carer Forum (PCF)
Richmond PCF is offering virtual drop in sessions for parents of children 0-5 years who are concerned about their child’s progress and would like support from other parents.
Download the PCF Flyer
Reflections and Redlees Stay and Play Sessions
Drop in stay and play sessions in Feltham and Isleworth for children and young people with special needs and their families. There is a relaxing white room, a ball pool, soft play area and garden for you to enjoy. Sessions run weekly, Sundays and throughout the school holidays.
The child must have a Hounslow GP.
Written consent from the main care giver is required before the child or young person can be seen.
The service accepts referrals from healthcare professionals
Email referrals to HRCH.Childrens-Therapies@nhs.net