Frequently Asked Questions/What to Expect

Who Will I Be Talking To?

You will be talking to a fully qualified clinician. All clinicians within our service are fully qualified to perform appointments virtually as well as face to face.

What Will Happen In My Virtual Appointment?

This call will do everything that a face-to-face appointment would do, which is:

• Understand what matters to you
• Assess your condition
• Discuss care and treatment options
• Decide with you what the next steps might be

During this phone call, the clinician may ask you to switch to a video call if that is more helpful to assess what is wrong and if it is technically possible.

How Will the Clinician Know What my Problem is if they can’t See or Touch Me?

Much of the information that our clinicians use to work out what is going on with your body comes from what you tell us. They do not necessarily need to touch or see you in order to understand what is wrong, and provide treatment for you.

We have learned that a virtual consultation can be as good as a face-to-face appointment for almost all people with musculoskeletal conditions. In recent years, we have successfully treated many patients in this way.

How Long will my Appointment be?

Most first appointments are 30 minutes long. Spine and Physiotherapy/Osteopathy first appointments are 45 minutes, Pain are 60 minutes.
MSK follow-ups are 15 minutes. Physiotherapy/Osteopathy, Podiatry, and Pain follow-ups are 30 minutes.

Will My Appointment Be On Time?

Our appointments normally run on time. On rare occasions your appointment may be a few minutes late due to unforeseen complications.
Please make sure you have your phone available for your appointment. We will attempt to call a few times, but if you do not pick up we will need to rebook you.

How Do I Change/Cancel My Appointment?

If you need to change or cancel your appointment please either call or email us with as much notice as possible. Which number or email address you should use will depend on your area, please see our Contact Us page for all contact details.

Can I still Be Spoken to if I have a disability or have special requirements?

Yes. Support can be provided for anyone with special needs e.g. deafness, non-English speaking etc. Please contact us before your appointment if you think you may require additional help.

What will happen after my appointment?

This will depend on whether you are seeing an Assessment & Rehabilitation Therapist (Physiotherapist/Osteopath) or an Advanced Practitioner. The What is Musculoskeletal page explains what may happen after your appointment/with your ongoing treatment.

For some of our clinics we will write an outcome letter.  This letter will be addressed to you as the patient and we will routinely send a copy to the GP and any other organisations involved in your care.  Your clinician will talk to you to ensure you are happy for your clinic letter to be shared in this way.

If you choose to share sensitive information with us, we will talk to you about how this is worded in your letter.  It is really important to us that you are happy with this letter.  If you have some feedback for us or any questions, please get in touch.

How long will I wait for an appointment?

Our Wait Times page provides up to date waiting times for across our service as well as services we refer to.

Preparing for my Appointment

It is important to think about what matters to you and what you want from your treatment. This will help you and your clinician to choose a treatment that’s best for you.

For example:
If you have young children, not having time off your feet may be more important to you.
If you travel/move a lot, a treatment that can be performed anywhere may be better suited to your lifestyle.

During your appointment, AQuA (the Advanced Quality Alliance) recommends 3 questions to ask when discussing treatment choices:

1) What are my options?
2) What are the pros & cons of each option for me?
3) How do I get support to help me make a decision that is right for me?

It can be helpful to have these in mind going into your appointment.

If you are due to have an operation at this time, If you have been referred to hospital, you may find the linked leaflet helpful in your preparation for surgery. This leaflet was developed by the Centre for Perioperative Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic but the information remains relevant.