NHS Highland’s First Contact Physiotherapy Team held a Christmas party with a difference earlier this month.
The team, which is spread across NHS Highland’s vast geographical area, have never been in one room together since the service started a few years ago.
The team of 30 staff have created a strong sense of identify despite being scattered across 64 GP Practices in our Board area. And they celebrated their first ever in-person team meeting in the Centre for Health Sciences in Inverness last week.
Jude Arnaud, Clinical Lead for NHS Highland’s First Contact Physiotherapists in General Practice, said: “It was really energising for the team to get together and celebrate a successful first few years of the service.
“The team deliver first contact musculoskeletal physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, treatment and sign posting for communities, supporting their musculoskeletal health and wellbeing.
“We have coverage in all practices in Highland, and we aim to reduce GP workload by providing fast access to expert physiotherapy musculoskeletal assessment and opinion.
“We have delivered over 50,000 appointments across Highland this year, which is an incredible achievement. We have been building strong relationships with our patients and our colleagues across health and social care. It shows how innovative we have been in developing the first contact physiotherapy service across Highland.
“We have to adapt and be creative to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care in remote and rural areas and the team have been at the forefront of this since the service was first introduced.
“It was great fun for everyone to come together and celebrate our achievements during what has been a challenging few years for everyone. We have a tremendous team spirit and the get together is sure to be the first of many.”