Ealing paediatric physiotherapy service
Our team of physiotherapists in Ealing combines specialist skills with expert knowledge of child development and childhood disabilities. Physiotherapy uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social wellbeing.
We work with children to help them become as active as possible. We use manual therapy and therapeutic exercise, also offering tailored advice and supporting behavioural change.
Ealing paediatric physiotherapy is part of the Ealing Service for Children with Additional Needs (ESCAN), which brings together health, social care and educational services for children.
Our team of physiotherapists assess and care for children and young people who have:
- Long term conditions, physical disabilities and developmental problems - for children and young people who are between 0 and 18 years old, or up to the age of 19 for children in special schools
- Musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions - for children and young people between 0 and 16 years old.
Each child or young person is fully assessed by one of our physiotherapists at their first appointment. Together with you and your child, we’ll plan what to do next. This will depend on what your child needs.
The team can help children who need physiotherapy support in several ways, such as:
- A review of your child's physiotherapy needs and programme after an agreed period of time
- An exercise or physical/postural management programme
- Individual or group sessions with a physiotherapist or a physiotherapy assistant
- Referral to other services that might help your child, such as a wheelchair service, podiatry and other therapy services like occupational therapy or speech and language therapy
- Specialist equipment, such as orthotics, mobility aids, or postural management equipment
- Training parents, carers or school staff to carry out exercise or physical/postural management programmes, so that they can be performed as part of your child's daily routine, when this is appropriate
- Working with parents, teachers, learning support assistants, nurses and medical staff.
Find out more about children's physiotherapy from the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists website
We work across Ealing in different settings which best meet your child's needs, including :
- Clinics
- Children's centres
- Special and mainstream schools
- Nurseries
- Your own home.
We treat children and young people who have an Ealing GP.
We accept referrals from:
- Consultants
- GPs
- Other healthcare professionals
- Paediatricians
- School teachers
- Special educational needs coordinators.
Download our guidelines for physiotherapy referral
Email your referral to: ealingcommunity.referrals@nhs.net
Our team is happy to offer training for local schools and healthcare professionals on request.
Our training for referrers includes:
- How we deliver our service
- Our referral guidelines and criteria
- Universal information that may be relevant to your patients, such as advice on flat feet and in-toeing for GPs.
Our training for schools or nurseries includes:
- Postural management
- Making the principles of physical management a regular part of a child or young person’s day
- Supporting a child or young person's gross motor skill development through universal activities.
We can also offer training on specific conditions or elements of physiotherapy intervention.