Information for patients

How can I access pelvic health physiotherapy?

We accept referrals from GP’s, Consultants, Bladder & Bowel nurse specialists and midwives.

Currently we do not accept self-referral to the pelvic health physiotherapy service.

If you are pregnant or up to one year postpartum and require physiotherapy for a pregnancy related condition such as back or pelvic pain, bladder or bowel issues please refer to the perinatal pelvic health service:

• Pelvic health support and information - Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System

How soon will I be seen?

All referrals received will be triaged and categorised depending on their level of urgency.

There is currently a waiting list for non-urgent referrals. You may be offered a group education class or signposted to relevant online resources to support you during this wait.

What will happen at my appointment?

Your appointment will be with a female chartered physiotherapist with specialist training in pelvic health. We are a teaching hospital therefore a student physiotherapist may also be involved in your care. If this is the case, you will be informed before your appointment and have the right to decline their presence.

Prior to your first appointment you may be asked to complete a two or three day bladder diary and symptom questionnaire. This is to identify your fluid consumption, bladder function and is often used as a measure to track your progress. 

You will be given the choice of a telephone or in-person appointment for you first attendance.

Your first appointment will take up to one hour and will involve taking a detailed medical history to get a clear understanding of your symptoms, and the impact they have on your quality of life.

If appropriate, you will be offered an internal vaginal or rectal examination to assess your pelvic floor function and the structures that may be impacting your condition. This will help us to formulate an appropriate treatment programme. This procedure will be explained to you, and you will be asked to give your consent. You can have a friend or relative present for support during this examination if you wish.

You or your therapist can also request a chaperone to be present. A chaperone is an independent person who is present during a physical examination to act as a safeguard for all parties and is witness to continuing consent for the procedure. If you do require a chaperone, please inform your therapist prior to the appointment. 

To get the best out of your treatment, we ask our patients to do the following:

• Complete any necessary diaries & forms.
• Commit to a course of treatment with mutually agreed exercise and training regimes. Timelines and barriers to this can be discussed with your therapist.
• Adhere to our attendance policy (see below)
• Communicate any issues or concerns regarding your treatment with your physiotherapist

Attendance/discharge policy

We adhere to a strict attendance and discharge policy in order to keep our waiting list as short as possible and ensure fairness to our patients.

• If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact the department and speak to someone directly or leave a voice message as soon as possible before your appointment date. Our voice messages are closely monitored and recorded
• If you fail to attend your appointment without letting us know, you will be given the opportunity to rebook within strict timeframes
• For new appointments this is ten calendar days, and for follow-up appointments two calendar days
• If you cancel three consecutive appointments, you will be discharged from the service
• If the clinician is aware of clinical or personal circumstances that have led to a missed appointment exemptions may apply and this can be discussed directly with our team
• If you have any questions about our attendance policy, please discuss with a member of staff who will be happy to help