Choosing a Physiotherapist in Bedfordshire

Anyone can call themselves a therapist. Only someone on the HCPC register can legally call themselves a physiotherapist. That one fact is the most useful check you have, and it takes about a minute.

Start with HCPC registration

"Physiotherapist" is a protected title in the UK. To use it, a person must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. That means an approved qualification, keeping to professional standards, and answering to a regulator if something goes wrong.

You can search the HCPC register for free on its website. A physiotherapist should give you their registration number straight away. If someone is vague about it, that tells you what you need to know.

The register also shows any extra entitlements. Some senior physiotherapists, for example, are qualified to prescribe medicines, and that is listed against their name.

What does "chartered" mean?

A chartered physiotherapist is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the professional body. It is not a legal must in the way HCPC registration is, but it shows they keep up with the profession and carry proper insurance.

Watch for titles that are not protected

"Sports therapist", "rehabilitation therapist", "movement specialist" and similar titles are not protected. Some people using them are well trained, but none of them comes with the same regulator behind it. If that matters to you, check for HCPC by name.

Match the experience to your problem

Physiotherapy is broad. Someone who spends their week on sports injuries is not always the right person for someone recovering from a stroke, and the other way round is just as true. Ask what they treat day to day.

• Back, neck or joint pain that has not settled — ask how they work out the cause, and when they would send you for a scan or back to your GP
• After a joint replacement or an operation — ask whether they follow the hospital's plan and build on it
• Stroke or a neurological condition — ask how much neurological rehabilitation they have done
• Dizziness — ask whether they have training in vestibular (inner ear and balance) problems
• Falls and unsteadiness — ask whether they measure strength and balance, and look at the house as well as the person

A small practice with more than one physiotherapist can be a real help here, because the person who visits can be matched to the problem.

What should I ask on the phone?

• Are you HCPC registered, and what is your number?
• How much experience do you have with my problem?
• How long is the first visit, and what does it cost?
• Do you cover my postcode, and is there a travel fee?
• Roughly how many visits do you think I will need?
• How will we know if it is working?
• Are you insured for home visits?

A good physiotherapist will answer all of these happily, and will tell you if they are not the right person for the job.

Clinic or home visit?

A clinic makes sense if you drive, the problem is not affecting how you get about, and you want gym equipment. A home visit makes sense if travelling is hard or painful, you are not driving, the problem is about managing your own house, or you care for someone and cannot get away.

What do home visits cost in Bedfordshire?

Home visits cost more than a clinic appointment, because the physiotherapist travels to you and sees fewer people in a day. For that you get a full session, no travel or parking of your own, and treatment built around the place you live.

Ask for the total cost up front, including any travel fee. The prices for home visits with Ibrahim and Vinay are published in full.

Home physiotherapy across Bedfordshire

Home visits are available across Bedford, Kempston, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Ampthill, Biggleswade and across Bedfordshire.

About Ibrahim and Vinay

Ibrahim Ali (HCPC PH61934) and Vinay Allam (HCPC PH129593) of Physio Experts provide home visit physiotherapy across Bedford, Kempston, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Ampthill, Biggleswade and across Bedfordshire. Ibrahim has been a physiotherapist for over 30 years, 23 of them in the NHS, where he works as an extended scope practitioner; he holds a Doctor of Physiotherapy degree and a master's in neurological physiotherapy. Vinay is an NHS musculoskeletal physiotherapist with extra training in sports injuries and dizziness and balance problems.

Read their profile or call 0330 133 2125.

Please mention Mobile Physiotherapist.co.uk when you call.