There are many reasons for choosing to see a private physiotherapist such as:

• Being able to see someone more quickly if you are in pain or need to know what to do to optimise your recovery and not aggravate any symptoms that you are having.
• Arranging an appointment time to suit you to fit in with your work or other commitments. We offer early morning, evening and weekend appointment times.
• Receiving a more hands-on approach to your treatment including treatments such as manual therapy and soft tissue release treatments which are often not available on the NHS due to time constraints.
• Being able to choose your physiotherapist and know how much experience and post-graduate qualifications they have.

No, Doctors notes or other referrals are not required to book a treatment session at Octopus Physiotherapy Clinic.

You should wear comfortable clothing such as a loose top, tracksuit or shorts and trainers that you feel able to move around in easily. Physiotherapists need to visually assess you in terms of movement and posture, as well as move different areas of your body, so these should be accessible and visible.

• Any x-rays or scan results that you may have relating to your injury or condition.
• You might want to bring a pair of shorts with you and/or or a vest-type top.
• A referral letter from your GP or consultant if you have one.
• Your full insurance details and claim number, if you wish us to claim our fees directly from your private health insurers and you have notified them of your claim.

On your first visit to Octopus Physiotherapy Clinics, you will be asked to fill out a short form detailing any relevant health issues. Your Physiotherapist will then call you into a treatment room and continue to ask you some further questions whilst filling out a computerised assessment form.

The Physiotherapist will then assess your posture and analyse the movement of the problem area of your body. Occasionally, you will be asked to remove an item of clothing to allow the Physiotherapist to analyse your movement or to palpate your problem area.

Your assessment will also involve some treatment, which may include joint manipulation, mobilisation, soft tissue or myofascial massage and appropriate exercises plus advice re the best way to care for your specific problem area.

The initial assessment will take approximately one hour, subsequent treatment sessions usually take around 30 minutes. However, if your problem is complicated, you may require an hour on subsequent sessions too.

You are welcome to bring anyone you wish to accompany you.

Some treatment can be uncomfortable but at no stage should you be unable to tolerate the level of discomfort. Your physiotherapist will give you clear guidelines on what to expect during and after treatment and what is a normal reaction. If you have any concerns then you should speak to your physiotherapist immediately.

This usually depends on factors such as:

• How long you’ve had a problem
• The severity of your symptoms and condition
• What you want do be able to do? For example, a person wishing to get back to training for a specific sport or event may require a longer course of treatment for a knee injury than a sedentary office-worker.

A fairly standard course of physiotherapy would be 3-5 treatment sessions but this can vary considerably.

A person seeking advice on what they should and shouldn’t be doing in relation to their condition or problem might just attend for 1-2 sessions to be shown some specific exercises to do themselves at home and receive some general management advice for their condition. Similarly an individual with a relatively minor injury might just need a few treatments to assess their condition and alleviate their symptoms. At the other end of the scale, a patient receiving treatment post-operatively or for a condition that has been present for some time may require treatment over a longer period to see them through to full rehabilitation.

Occasionally, following Physiotherapy assessment we will recommend a scan or Xray. In this instance we will write a letter to your GP requesting a second opinion from them so that they can organise this for you.

Octopus Physiotherapy Clinic is recognised by the major private health insurance companies for physiotherapy treatment. Usually, a patient has to be referred by their GP or specialist in order to claim the cost of their physiotherapy treatment through their private medical insurance.

We strongly recommend that patients contact their insurance company before commencing treatment to check and confirm individual policy conditions relating to a claim.

Special questions to check with the insurance company are:

• Is there an excess on the policy? i.e. the policy holder has to pay for part of the treatment themselves.
• How much insurance cover is available? e.g. set number of treatments or monetary limit.
• Is the financial assistance provided for physiotherapy treatment alone or is it part of an overall sum for specialist services? This is important if a Consultant is involved or if further investigations are being considered.
• Is there a time limit for the treatment to take place?

In certain instances with some insurance companies, Octopus Physiotherapy clnic will invoice the insurance company directly. If you wish for the clinic to provide this service, it is important that you bring all of your insurance membership details and authorisation details with you to your first appointment. If your insurance company does not cover your treatment charges in full, any outstanding amount will be due from you as our client.

A cancellation fee will be charged if you do not attend an appointment without notice or cancel an appointment with less than one full working days’ notice.

For all bookings, payment will be taken at the time of booking.

If not available on site, the team at location will be able to tell you where you can park close by.