Putting Access to Physiotherapy on the Agenda in Parliament

Written by Jeff Courtney, July 7, 2022

The Haemophilia Society this week brought together key people from the world of haemophilia care and treatment to talk to decision-makers in parliament.

At a round table in Westminster, President of the Haemophilia Society Baroness Meacher, led a discussion on how we deal with major problems faced by people with bleeding disorders in accessing full multidisciplinary care, particularly physiotherapy.

Speaking at the event Clive Smith, Chair of the Haemophilia Society, said that “Physiotherapy is a vital part of the multidisciplinary team needed to provide good care for people with bleeding disorders but access varies greatly across the UK.”

Despite being in the national service specification, a recent peer review showed that the responsibility to provide physiotherapy was not met in a significant number of centres with inadequate physiotherapy provision identified in 59% centres reviewed.

The Haemophilia Society were joined by representatives from the UKHCDO, the Haemophilia Nurses Association, the Haemophilia Chartered Physiotherapists Association (HCPA) and people living with haemophilia to talk about potential solutions to these issues. Members of the House of Commons and Lords took part in the discussion and listened to the views that we put forward.

If you are struggling to access physiotherapy at your centre please get in touch with us on [email protected] and you can read more here