Physiotherapy

FIRST CONTACT PHYSIOTHERAPY (FCP)

What is a First contact Physiotherapist?

The service provides direct access to a specialist first contact physiotherapist for initial assessment for musculoskeletal conditions. It is designed to be a face to face triage service rather than a traditional treatment service. The First contact physiotherapist role is similar to the highly successful introduction of nurse practitioner role in primary care.
The first contact physiotherapist will only see musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, neck pain, tennis elbow and sports injuries to name a few examples.
This is not a physiotherapy treatment service, if a patient requires ongoing treatment they should and will still be referred onto the standard physiotherapy team. The introduction of FCP’s allows for an accurate assessment and diagnosis to be made early, screening for non MSK conditions and red flags, and the patient given the most effective and clinically appropriate treatment.
FCP’s are experienced clinicians and are fully autonomous practitioners. Some of them are able to inject and prescribe. They also have expert knowledge of where to refer patients to be seen by the most appropriate clinician at the most appropriate time.

Some guidance on patients who are appropriate for FCP:

What is a First contact Physiotherapist

You can self refer to First contact Physiotherapy by calling the practice and booking an appointment. 

OUT PATIENT PHYSIOTHERAPY 

You can also self refer to ‘Core Physio’ using the link below.

www.mskphysiogrampian.scot.nhs.uk

Click on the link and fill out the form to be referred. This is for a more direct physio route as First Contact Physio is more about self management.