"Arrogant Physiotherapist"

I was extremely sorry that you have had this experience. It can be difficult to provide exercise to patients who have chronic and significant pain and there needs to be the right balance of encouraging people to exercise. Even a graded exercise programme can sometimes cause some discomfort in the initial stages. I am obviously very concerned that anyone feels that their symptoms have been increased by attending a group, and also that the physiotherapist came across as rude and uncaring. We always take complaints very seriously here at Weston Hospital and in order to address the points you have raised, we will implement the following changes to our classes for patients with chronic pain:- 1. We will ensure at the next outpatient staff meeting, that physiotherapists are reminded of our interactions with patients, particularly when we are encouraging them to perform exercises which, in some instances, can be painful to do. 2. We will encourage all patients to notify physiotherapists immediately on any treatments if they are not happy with any aspects of their care. 3. We will ensure that all patients entering the group are made fully aware that the nature of the group is exercise based, and we will ask them to confirm that they have understood completely what the group classes entail. 4. We will review the criteria for access to the groups for people with chronic pain and ensure that all our referrers, such as practice Doctors and Nurses, are aware of this. N. Evett MCSP Head of Physiotherapy Services