MSK Physio services

Where to refer

ESCAPE-pain courses are available across community providers and secondary care. For further information see the Self-management hip & knee pain page.

Please also see self care resources below. Advice and guidance is available from Sirona.

The following providers offer outpatient MSK physiotherapy:

• MSK Community Outpatient Service (Sirona)- Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire
• Wellspring Settlement MSK Clinic - Bristol
• North Bristol Trust 
• UHBW - Bristol
• UHBW - Weston

Patients should be offered choice based on the Physiotherapy waiting times (Nov 2024) which will be updated, or patient choice of venue.

A standardised referral form has been agreed for all services and can be found under each service below.

All referrals will be triaged and directed to the most appropriate service for the chosen provider.

Out-patient Physiotherapy Service provides advice, treatment and rehabilitation as appropriate for the following conditions:

• Joint aches and pains including osteoarthritis

• Spinal problems including back and neck pain

• Sporting related injuries or conditions

• MSK longer term pain-related conditions

• Rehabilitation following fracture or surgery

• Individual and group based treatments are offered

MSK Outpatient Physio - Sirona

Patients must be registered with a Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire GP and aged 16 years and over (or aged 5 years and over for those registered in North Somerset). The physiotherapy service provides assessment and treatment in person, or over the phone.

Patients will be offered a choice of the following locations for in person consultations:

Bristol Locations:

• Brooklea Health Centre
• Charlotte Keele Health Centre
• Hampton House Health Centre
• Hartcliffe Health Centre
• Knowle Clinic
• Knowle West Health Park

North Somerset Locations:

• North Somerset Community Hospital, Clevedon
• Marina Health Centre, Portishead

South Gloucestershire Locations:

• Cossham Hospital
• Thornbury Leisure Centre
• Yate Westgate Centre

Referral criteria for Sirona MSK Services. For people with foot & ankle conditions which are not post-operative or traumatic please refer to the MSK Foot & Ankle service.

Refer on MSK Service Referral Form via EMIS Managed Referrals

We have consolidated our telephone numbers and email addresses. Please use the following contact details:

Tel: 0300 125 6555

Email: sirona.mskservice@nhs.net

Wellspring Settlement MSK Clinic

The MSK Clinic is part of Wellspring Settlement, a charity based in Barton Hill that works within the BS5 area and inner-city communities.

**For Bristol GP practices only** The service is suitable for patients with acute, non-specific musculoskeletal pain requiring routine physical therapy (Physiotherapy, Osteopathy or Chiropractic).

Patients should only be referred if there is no improvement after 4 weeks of analgesia and re-mobilisation advice.

Patients who are suffering from a systemic illness or who are experiencing weight loss are not suitable for this service and should be referred to the appropriate acute provider.

Patients requiring specialist physiotherapy should continue to be referred to specialist services. For example, post surgery, hand therapy, stoke rehabilitation or pain management.

Our Definition of acute and chronic conditions:

• Acute: patients who have had a first occurrence condition for less than 12 months.
• Chronic: patients who have had their condition for more than 12 months.

Appointments are held at: Wellspring Settlement, Wellspring Site, Beam Street, Barton Hill, BS5 9QY  Tel: 0117 304 1414

Refer using the Wellspring Referral Form via email to: mskclinic.wellspring@nhs.net 

A Patient Information Leaflet is available.

Domiciliary Physio

Domiciliary physio services can be accessed via Community Therapy teams.

These services can be accessed by individuals who are unable to attend outpatient appointments and require seeing in their own homes to assess and manage conditions that affect function and independence within their home.

Referrals should be emailed using the INT Community Therapy referral form which should be embedded in EMIS systems.

Physio - NBT

Patients should be 16 years and over. Patients from birth to 16 should be referred to Paediatric Physiotherapy

Locations:

• Southmead Hospital

Referral is via e-RS using the standard referral form. All referral for low back pain must include a completed STarT Back Screening Tool.

If unable to submit via eRS, then please email the referral form to: Outpatients.Appointments@nbt.nhs.uk Do not send referrals by post.

Further details are on the Physiotherapy page of the website, including how referrals are prioritised into urgent or routine.

Physio - UHB

Patients should be 16 years and over. In some specialities, younger patients are agreed on a case by case basis.

Locations:

• Bristol Royal Infirmary

Referral is via email or post using the standard referral form. This service is not on e-RS.

Email: Ubh-tr.adulttherapies@nhs.net

Post: University Hospitals Bristol FT, Adult Therapies A101, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8HW

Further details are on the Physiotherapy page of the website.

Physio - WGH

Locations:

• Weston General Hospital

Referral is via e-RS using the standard referral form. All referral for low back pain must include a completed STarT Back Screening Tool.

This is also the route to access the Back Pack programme run at WGH. Mention referral to Back Pack on the referral form to Physio.

See  the following link for more details Physiotherapy

Self care resources

Sirona MSK Leaflet library: https://www.sirona-cic.org.uk/advice-information/leaflet-library/musculoskeletal-msk-services/

Versus Arthritis – exercises for foot, shoulder, tennis elbow, neck, OA knee, back and hip pain. https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/exercise/exercises-to-manage-pain/

British Elbow and Shoulder Society: Shoulder subacromial shoulder pain resource https://www.bess.org.uk/index.php/public-area/shpi-videos

https://www.bess.org.uk/application/files/5315/2723/2907/PublicationA5version-Amended.pdf 

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.