Self-referral for Pelvic Health Physiotherapy at North Bristol NHS Trust

Submitted by Stew Bayldon on
Who can the Pelvic Health Physiotherapy team help?
This service is available for women and people assigned female at birth, who are over the age of 16 and have any of the symptoms listed below.
Physiotherapy can help a range of pelvic health conditions which include:

Problems with your pelvic floor muscles at any stage in life:
•    Leaking urine
•    Leaking poo/wind
•    Bladder or bowel urgency
•    Pelvic organ prolapse
•    Pelvic pain

Problems occurring in pregnancy or after birth:

•    Pelvic girdle pain
•    Lower back pain 
•    Rib pain 
•    Hip pain 
•    Coccyx pain

These are common problems that can affect women and people assigned female at birth but they are not something you have to put up with, seeing a pelvic health physiotherapist can help to reduce or resolve these problems.

What is self-referral and what do I need to do?
Self-referral is another way of getting to see a pelvic health Physiotherapist. It means that you don’t need to see the GP and wait for them to refer you. 

Please complete all questions on the form, this is to help the Physio team decide on the correct treatment for you.  Any incomplete forms will not be accepted and you risk not being seen by the physio team.

If you are unable to complete the form, please ask your GP, Midwife or healthcare professional for help.

Who is the self-referral NOT for?
The referral is not for men, children or for separation of the stomach muscles (diastasis recti of the abdominus muscle).  These will need to be referred to the Pelvic Health team by your GP.
What will happen next?
A specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist will look at the information you have written on the form and then once you are near the top of the waiting list you will be contacted with an appointment.  The treatment you receive will be the same as if your GP had referred you.
How do I know if I should see my GP?
If you have any concerns, you can always make an appointment to see your GP in the usual way and ask for a Physiotherapy referral or self-refer once you have seen them.

General screening 

The below information is about your general health, not just your pelvic health problem and it's important that you read it carefully. This will make sure that any potential serious problems or 'red flags' are dealt with correctly by your GP or healthcare professional. 

You will have opportunity to tell us about your pelvic health symptoms further down the page.

If you have any of the following symptoms, please speak to a GP before referring yourself to pelvic health physiotherapy:

  • Burning or stinging sensation when you pee
  • Blood in your pee.
  • Unusual or unexpected bleeding or staining from the vagina.
  • Blood in your poo (without other symptoms of piles).
  • Persistent change in your bowel habit (needing to go more often, having runny poo and sometimes tummy pain).
  • Persistent lower tummy pain, bloating or discomfort (always caused by eating and maybe associated with loss of appetite or significant weight loss).

I have read and understood the above, and I don’t have any of the above symptoms

Tick one of the boxes below

Please see your GP/Healthcare provider if you are unsure or do not understand the information above. Please ask them to make the referral for you, once you have discussed your problem with them.

Cauda equina 

Cauda Equina Syndrome is a rare but severe condition where the nerves at the bottom of the spine become compressed. 

If you have new sudden and severe low back pain and/or leg pain AND any of the following symptoms which started within the last two weeks, or your symptoms are getting worse then please do not complete this form and call NHS 111 or attend A&E as you may require immediate medical attention:

  • Loss of feeling pins and needles between your inner thighs or genitals.
  • Numbness in or around your anus or buttocks.
  • Altered feeling when using toilet paper to wipe yourself.
  • Increasing difficulty when you try to stop or control your flow of pee.
  • Loss of sensation when you pee.
  • Leaking urine or recent need to use pads.
  • Not knowing when your bladder is either full or empty.
  • Unable to hold on when you need to poo or leak poo.
  • Inability to stop a bowel movement or leaking.
  • Loss of sensation in the vulva/vagina during sexual intercourse.

If you have had low back pain and/or leg pain AND any of the symptoms above for more than two weeks and they are not getting worse then please make an appointment with your GP, before seeing a pelvic health physiotherapist.

I have read and understood the above, and I don’t have any of the above symptoms

Tick one of the boxes below

Please see your GP/Healthcare provider if you are unsure or do not understand the information above. Please ask them to make the referral for you, once you have discussed your problem with them.


Referring yourself to Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

Please complete all the details below and press submit.

Address, including postcode:
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Does your condition prevent you from providing care to a dependent you live with?
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Your pelvic health problem

Your symptoms

Please select all that apply. 

Pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms:
Pregnancy or postnatal musculoskeleteal related symptoms (under six months from delivery):

Duration

How long have you had this problem?

Getting worse?

Are your symptoms getting worse?

Pregnancy

Are you, or have you in the last year been, pregnant?
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If you live in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire you will be able to self-refer to see a member of the Pelvic Health Physiotherapy team.

We can also accept referrals from your GP, Consultant, Midwife or other healthcare professional.

Accessing NHS Careers Mentoring scheme

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Accessing NHS Careers Mentoring scheme

We offer support and training to help you get into employment. 

You will have an assigned mentor and access to many optional training sessions, all to get you closer to your dream career!

What we can offer you

A mentor

Your mentor will help you to develop a plan to achieve your goals, and support you along the way.

Courses and Qualifications

We can offer maths, English, IT, Employability and much more!

Practical Experience

We can arrange work experience and shadowing in your chosen career

Career Guidance

We offer career guidance, from CV preparation and simulated interviews to help with apprenticeships and further study.

Register

To register visit https://forms.office.com/e/PveinnCeyU or email Dre.Williams@nbt.nhs.uk

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority is working in partnership with NBNHST to deliver the Mayoral Priority Skills Fund. This find provides flexible grant to meet the current priority skills gaps in the region. This project is funded/part -funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. For more information visit www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/employment-skills/mayoral-priority-skills-fund and www.skillsconnect.org.uk 

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Funded by UK Government

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Levelling Up

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Skills Connect

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Commitment to Our Community

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Being an anchor in our Community is one of our key Trust objectives. This in an important part of our Trust strategy, launched in February 2023 with our overall aim of delivering outstanding patient experience. An overview of the strategy can be found on the Trust Strategy page. 

We take pride in being an ‘Anchor in our Community’ and the Commitment to our Community improvement priority focuses on how we can reduce inequalities, improve health outcomes and how we can make sure that our staff are truly representative of the communities that we serve in and around Bristol. 

We have recently launched our Commitment to Our Community Plan which aims to:

  • Focus on increasing the number of people employed at NBT from our local communities, particularly supporting people from an ethnic minority background and those from socio-economically disadvantaged areas in and around Bristol.
  • Address recruitment disparities for candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds where the data tells us that people are less likely to be appointed from shortlisting.

What do we plan to do?

  • Work with our local schools, colleges, councils, and community areas to provide mentoring and skills support for local residents into employment, apprenticeship, and career opportunities at NBT.
  • Provide a range of support to help people become work ready and improve their employability skills.
  • Review our current recruitment processes to make sure that they are accessible and equitable and introduce more targeted recruitment and selection interventions that reduce the disparity that exists.
  • Work with a range of disadvantaged groups to support them into employment, apprenticeship, and career opportunities at NBT.

What can you do?

Explore our career opportunities on the Careers page, we have a wide range of roles to suit your interest and work in an environment that gives you the chance to make a difference every single day. 

If you would like to find out more about the Commitment to Our Community Plan and what support is available to you, please contact our careers inbox for any inquiries: careers@nbt.nhs.uk

Ongoing Commitment

This plan is just one part of our Commitment to Our Community to support and engage with our local areas. Stay tuned for more initiatives and updates as we continue to build a stronger, more inclusive community together.

Together, we can make a real difference.

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Immunology & Immunogenetics Laboratory Contact Details

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Departmental Secretaries
Telephone: 0117 4148396

Immunology Laboratory
Telephone: 0117 4148378

Cellular Immunology/Immunophenotyping
Telephone: 0117 4148377

Tissue Typing
Telephone: 0117 4148375

Dr Mark Gompels
Consultant Immunologist
Telephone: 0117 4148396

Dr Sarah Johnston
Consultant Immunologist
Telephone: 0117 4148396

Dr Alexandros Grammatikos
Consultant Immunologist
Telephone: 0117 4148396

Dr Phil Bright
Consultant Immunologist
Telephone: 0117 4148396

Dr Adrian Heaps
Head of Department
Telephone: 0117 4148473

Sarinder Day
Lead Clinical Scientist Immunogenetics
Telephone: 0117 4148365

Nigel Noel
Lead Health Care Scientist Flow Cytometry
Telephone: 0117 4148561

Allison Brixey
Blood Sciences Laboratory Manager
Telephone: 0117 4148416

Joanne Skingley
Blood Sciences Operations Manager
Telephone: 0117 4148498

Cosmia Mutton
Quality Manager
Telephone: 0117 4148372

For Allergy and Immunology clinical advice, the clinicians and nursing team can be contacted:
1. via the secretaries on 0117 4143456, 9-5, no on-call service provided
2. via switchboard to our individual mobiles if clinician specific advice required, 9-5
3. via the immunology SpR bleep 9287, 9-5, no on-call service provided

General public enquiries should be directed to your GP in the first instance.

 

Contact Immunology & Immunogenetics

Head of Department
Dr Adrian Heaps
Telephone: 0117 4148473

Clinical Lead
Dr Sarah Johnston
Telephone: 0117 4148370

Blood Sciences Laboratory Manager
Allison Brixey
Telephone: 0117 4148416

General Enquiries/Secretaries
Telephone: 0117 4143456

E-mail: immunology@nbt.nhs.uk

Normal Laboratory Hours
Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

Immunology & Immunogenetics Laboratory Contact Details

Research

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Research & Development

Research forms an integral part of the Trust. Encouraging a research-positive culture in healthcare is important to give patients wider access to clinical research, improving treatment outcomes, patient care and experience. NBT is proud to be a centre of excellence for health research and the holders of the Investors in People Silver accreditation. You do not always need to have research experience to join our team. 

What specialities can I work in within Research?

Research opportunities

NBT cares

Research Nurse / Midwife/ AHP

Research Nurse Deanna

Clinical Research Practitioner

Clinical Research Practioner

Research Administrator

Research Admin Sally

Research Support Roles

Research Support Roles

My Role in Research

Our 'My Role in Research' series aims to delve a little deeper into a variety of roles within Research. Discover their stories here. 

Current Research Vacancies

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Immunology – HLA Typing & Renal Crossmatching

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HLA Typing, Serum Screening and Renal Crossmatching
Full HLA types are determined for both recipients of organ transplants and potential organ donors. The laboratory offers comprehensive serum screening of potential transplant recipients for HLA antibodies.  The results, together with information on HLA sensitisation events such as blood transfusion, pregnancies and previous transplants, aid in selecting patients for transplant. Finally donor organs are crossmatched against recipient serum to confirm compatibility prior to transplant.

HLA Typing for Drug Hypersensitivities
Screening for HLA-B*57:01 which is associated with hypersensitivity to the drug abacavir, used in HIV treatment, is offered by the laboratory.

HLA Typing for Disease Associations 
Some HLA types have specific disease associations, the most common are given below. Whilst the laboratory is able to offer screening  for these HLA types, it is  important to remember that these are associated with, but not diagnostic for, the disease in question.

HLA TypeAssociated Diseases
HLA-B27Ankylosing Spondylitis, Uvieitis
HLA-B51(5)Behcets Syndrome
HLA-A29Birdshot Chorioretinopathy (Birdshot Uveitis)
DQ6(DQB1*06:02)Narcolepsy
HLA-DQ2,DQ8(3)                                                 Coeliac Disease
Test Information Immunology – HLA Typing & Renal Crossmatching

Professor Paul Abrams - Urology

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GMC number: 1449543

Professor Paul Abrams

Year & location of first qualification: 1970 Sheffield University

Specialty: Urology

Clinical interests: These included the assessment and management of Female and Male Lower urinary tract conditions and diseases such as urinary incontinence and prostatic obstruction.

Administrator: Karen Evely Bristol Urological Institute

Secretary phone number: 0117 414 7942

Extensive research record with, over 700 publications and more than 62,000 citations of papers of which I am an author and an “h” number of 104. Currently involved in research and teaching as well as health improvement programmes for NHS England (Chair of Bladder Working Group) and Bladder and Bowel Confidence (Associate Director) the Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Team

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Life or honorary member of the major urological organisations worldwide.

Abrams

Dr Daniel Higbee - Respiratory

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GMC number: 7090116

Year & location of first qualification: 2010, UCL Medical School

Specialty: Respiratory

Clinical interests: Airways disease (asthma and COPD), inducible laryngeal obstruction, cough, breathlessness.

Secretary: Lata Luchmun

Dr Higbee graduated from UCL medical school and has been based in the Southwest since then. He completed a PhD at Southmead Hospital and the University of Bristol examining whether having reduced lung function and chronic lung disease causes disease in other organs. He set up the service testing for inducible laryngeal obstruction using continuous laryngoscopy with exercise and provocation. He is a member of the subspecialist airways team that prescribes biologics for those with severe asthma and evaluates endobronchial valve therapy for those with severe emphysema. He is the clinical lead for pulmonary rehabilitation (known locally as the Lung Exercise and Education Programme).
 

Higbee