Overview
We offer assessment, advice and therapy for children and young people with physical difficulties or disabilities. This can include support, instructions and consultations for parents and carers and others that may be involved with you or your child (such as teachers and other health professionals).
Therapy may include activity and exercise programmes, individual or group sessions, aquatic therapy. The physiotherapy team work collaboratively towards enabling children and young people and their families to manage their own physical health needs, and maximise their physical potential.
Examples of when physiotherapy may be needed include delay in development, mobility problems, neuromuscular disorders, neurological conditions, balance and co-ordination difficulties, joint and muscle pain/problems.
We also provide physiotherapy as part of outreach work for Marjorie McClure and Riverside special schools. More information on these aspects of services can be found on the school websites.
If you are not sure whether a physiotherapy assessment is needed or not please contact the children’s physiotherapy department through the Care Coordination Centre (administration pod 5) on the number below.
The current average waiting time for the Children’s Physiotherapy service is 4.4 weeks.
Using this service
The service is for children aged 0 to 18. To use the service you need to be registered with a Bromley GP or attend a special school in Bromley borough.
There is a service available for school-based physiotherapy for your child if they attend a mainstream school in the Bromley borough. We will work closely with your local physiotherapy service if your child should need this.
Your child can be referred to see us by your doctor (GP), health visitor, paediatrician or teacher, and other health care professionals who might be seeing your child. However, you can approach us directly to discuss your concerns.
Appointments
Your first appointment
You will be seen by a qualified physiotherapist who will complete an assessment. Your appointment will take place usually in the clinic, but your physiotherapist can arrange appointments with pre-school, school or home; wherever is most suitable to meet your child’s needs.
Changing or cancelling an appointment
Please give as much notice as possible. Please call the Care Co-ordination Centre on 0300 330 5777. If you are asked to leave a message, please state your child’s name and date of birth, appointment details as well as your contact details. This will enable us to have your information to hand when we return your call.
Improving physical activity and coordination
Physical activity at home could include the whole family; make it a challenge! You may create obstacle courses throughout your home or garden, go for a fast walk, have relay races outside, jump on a trampoline, or have a dance party in the lounge!
Please remember during the COVID-19 pandemic that socialization and exercise should only include members from the same household.
The following resources may provide ideas and suggestions to stay active:
NHS Fitness Studio
Access to free fitness and exercise videos including Pilate’s, yoga, strengthening exercises and the Couch to 5k programme: nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio
Change4Life: 10 Minute Shake Ups
Play games along to a video of your favorite characters for short breaks of activity: nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up/shake-ups
Cosmic Kids Yoga
Yoga adventure sessions for children: cosmickids.com
Joe Wicks daily PE sessions
Free daily PE sessions for your living room: The Body Coach on YouTube
Motor Skill Learning Academy*
Free resources for fun motor development games: motorskilllearning.com
*Please note you must sign up to receive emails for free games but you can alternatively access free content on YouTube
Kids Health
Offers a variety of health information, recipes, study break yoga sessions and basic teen exercises: kidshealth.org
YouTube
There are plenty of free fitness sessions from HIIT training or Zumba to Pilate’s and yoga for the whole family!
Our leaflets
Children’s Physiotherapy Service
Newborn baby’s feet – positional talipes
Advice leaflets from the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists
Choosing footwear for children
Other leaflets
What Parents Should Know About Flatfeet, Intoeing, Bent Legs, And Shoes For Children
Great Ormond Street Hospital provide advice for parents and carers of newborn and very young babies in their leaflet on Positional Plagiocephaly. This is a disorder that affects the skull, making the back or side of baby’s head appear flattened.
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust:
How to position, move and interact with your baby
Useful links
Below are a number of local services which you might find useful.
Bromley Local Offer
Support for children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs.
Bromley Mencap
A registered charity working with and on behalf of people with a learning disability in the London Borough of Bromley.
Bromley Parent Voice
A forum that aims to be a voice to inform service providers of the needs of children and young people with a disability or additional need and their families by facilitating two–way communication between parent/carers and service providers in the London Borough of Bromley.
Children with Disabilities and Additional Needs
Provides help and advice to families in the borough who have children aged 18 or under with disabilities and special needs. This includes children with severe physical, learning or sensory disabilities.
kentcht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapies-the-pod/physiotherapy
Advice around various issues relating to motor skills. [Use a child development app to help give ideas and suggestions of what to work on next. Start where your child is at and work on from there. Basic versions are available free. Additional features may have a charge. e.g. BabySparks. Other apps exist by searching ‘child development’ in your app store (smart phone users).]
Below are a number of national organisations which you might find useful.
Contact a Family
The only UK-wide charity providing advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children.
csp.org.uk/public-patient
General advice and exercises for people with musculoskeletal conditions.
downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-families-and-carers/growing-up
Information for children with Downs Syndrome. Includes links to early developmental activity videos.
global-help.org
Global Help – a free multi-language library of information (free of copyright) about different childhood conditions.
nhs.uk
Visit the NHS website for information and advice on musculoskeletal symptoms and gross motor development, Parents may find a child development app really useful. Start with the activity your child can do and work on from there. nhs.uk/apps-library
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Supporting blind and partially sighted people.
Royal National Institute for the Deaf
Helps to improve life for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Scope
A national charity who’s vision is a world where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.
shb.scot.nhs.uk/departments/physiotherapy
Advice sheets and ideas.
More information
More about physiotherapy
Children who come to physiotherapy have a range of needs and health conditions. Information from NHS UK tells you a bit about more some of the conditions that our children may have.
Cerebral palsy
Muscular dystrophy
Childhood dyspraxia
Birth-to-five development timeline
Accessible breaks, activities and day trips
For professionals
The Children’s Physiotherapy service is open to children and young people aged 0 to 18 who are registered with a Bromley GP or in attendance at a special school in the borough. Patients can be referred via the Single Point of Entry form on EMIS or by contacting the service via the Care Coordination Centre at bromh.cccpod5refs@nhs.net
Please refer to the criteria below:
Eligibility criteria for Children’s Physiotherapy
Guidance for Health Visitors (pre-school children)
Clinical Lead for Children’s Physiotherapy: Carolyn Kelly