Coronavirus: Physiotherapy
(asked on 22nd October 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the provision of respiratory physiotherapy for (a) patients with covid-19, (b) patients with long-term symptoms related to covid-19 and (c) non covid-19 patients in the event that physiotherapists and physiotherapy support workers have to self-isolate on the basis of contact with covid-19 positive patients while wearing PPE.
Physiotherapists are established as a core part of the multi-disciplinary team treating patients with COVID-19. Through its communication to general practitioner practices and commissioners on 31 July 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement set out the requirement that general practice, community and optometry services should restore activity to usual levels where clinically appropriate, and reach out proactively to clinically vulnerable patients and those whose care may have been delayed. The communication also stated community health services should continue to support patients who have recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19 but need ongoing rehabilitation and other community health services. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s letter is available at the following link: