Choosing a Physiotherapist in Hull and the East Riding

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, meeting professional standards, and answering to a regulator if something goes wrong.

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

What about MCSP?

MCSP after a name means the person is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the professional body. It is a good sign of someone keeping up with the profession, but unlike HCPC registration it is not a legal requirement. HCPC registration and proper insurance for home visits are the two things to insist on.

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. Ask what someone actually treats day to day, and whether it matches what you need help with.

Worth matching on:

• Back, neck or joint pain — ask how they mix hands-on treatment with exercise, and how they will help you manage it yourself
• A sports injury — ask how they plan the return to training and playing, not just the pain
• After a joint replacement or a fracture — ask whether they follow the hospital's plan and build on it
• Stroke or a neurological condition — ask what neurological rehabilitation they have done
• Falls and unsteadiness — ask whether they measure strength and balance, and look at the house as well as the person

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?
• Will I get exercises to do between visits?
• 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. In a county as spread out as the East Riding, the time saved on the road counts too.

A clinic slot is often twenty or thirty minutes. A home visit is usually a full session with nobody waiting behind you.

What do home visits cost in the East Riding?

Home visits can cost a little 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 actually live.

Ask for the total cost up front, including any travel fee. Ben's prices are published in full.

Home physiotherapy across the East Riding

Home visits are available in Hull, Hessle, Cottingham, Beverley, Driffield, Goole, Bridlington, Hornsea and across the East Riding of Yorkshire.

About Ben Harrison

Ben Harrison is an HCPC registered physiotherapist (PH157824) providing home visit physiotherapy across Hull, Hessle, Cottingham, Beverley, Driffield, Goole, Bridlington, Hornsea and across the East Riding of Yorkshire. He trained at York St John University, with NHS placements in musculoskeletal outpatients, stroke rehabilitation and respiratory wards, and provides volunteer physiotherapy support at Farsley Celtic Women's Football Club.

Read Ben's profile or call 07769 042724.

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