Therapy Services

The role of the Therapy Services department is to provide high quality, effective, integrated physiotherapy, occupational therapy and orthotic interventions to facilitate health gain and maximise functional ability for both in and out patients.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a profession and type of therapy that uses physical agents: exercise, massage, and other treatment modalities. This includes helping patients with physical problems due to injuries, fractures, diseases, ageing and overuse. These problems can be related to pain, reduced or increased joint movement, muscle weakness, poor coordination or reduced balance.

Physiotherapists assess, treat and help people manage problems with daily functions such as movement, posture and activities. We also treat neurological problems, breathing problems, and incontinence.

Physiotherapists will provide advice and education about your specific problem(s), injury or condition. They will also teach you therapeutic exercises and posture correction as required. They may use ‘hands on’ treatment techniques such as mobilisation and/or manipulation of joints and muscles and also heat and cold therapy, ultrasound, injections and acupuncture if required.

Assessment, treatments and exercises take place in an individual treatment area or cubicle. Group exercise or individual rehabilitation programmes take place in the gymnasium or our state of the art hydrotherapy pool (King’s Mill Hospital).

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a profession that involves the patient and determining their meaningful activities of daily life, especially to enable or encourage participation in such activities, in spite of impairments or limitations in physical or mental functions.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) aim to enable and empower people to maximise their potential to engage in meaningful and purposeful activities. We will help you to be as independent as possible in essential activities of everyday living and facilitate a safe discharge from hospital back to the community. This may require us to liase with other agencies on your behalf to provide essential equipment and adaptations for your home. Sometimes we will undertake a home assessment visit with you to your home.

If you attend as an out-patient, OTs may arrange a treatment programme to improve or help you to manage your condition by offering advice. We can also provide splints and pressure garments following an assessment.

Orthotics

Orthotics is a profession and the science that deals with the use of specialised mechanical devices to support or supplement weakened or abnormal joints or limbs.

The Orthotists’ role is to assess and provide an external orthosis or device to an individual to:

Improve mobility
Relieve pain
Slow the rate of a disease or condition
Improve quality of life.

The Orthotic service provides both an in and out patient service across King’s Mill and Newark hospitals. In addition we provide outreach clinics to Mansfield Community Hospital and Portland Training College. We provide an ‘in house’ service and directly employ our own HPC registered Orthotists and workshop technicians.

Some orthoses are ready made or ‘off the shelf', but many are specifically made to the individual patients’ needs and requirements. These then have to be ‘made to order’.

We have a modern and ‘state of the art’ workshop at King’s Mill Hospital, and employ skilled technicians to make up many of the orthoses on-site. This is a unique position for an NHS Trust and makes the service we provide smoother with a faster ‘turn around’ for items made and tailored for patients.

Wheelchair Service

Wheelchair assessment, supply, delivery and repair will now be provided by Ross Care in association with their partner, Blatchford. The service will remain focussed around Mansfield Community Hospital and you may already be familiar with some of the Ross Care team as they have been part of local delivery since 2011.

Walking aid return and reuse scheme

Walking aids such as metal frames, crutches and sticks can be safely refurbished and reused. This can improve patient access and reduce the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing new walking aids.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals have joined an NHS England campaign to reuse or recycle walking aids that people no longer require. We accept any type of metal walking sticks, crutches or walking frames. These can be returned when no longer needed.

How to return

Please return metal walking aids to the drop off points at one of our hospitals listed below. We will also accept metal walking aids issued by other healthcare providers.

If you have any doubts about when to return your walking aid, please ask at your next clinic appointment.

If your walking aid is broken or faulty, please contact the therapy department you received it from to arrange returning and replacing it.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Walking aid drop off locations:

King’s Mill Hospital, Clinic 10 (Therapy Services) or main entrance. Accessible 24/7.
Mansfield Community Hospital Rehab Unit. Accessible Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
Newark Hospital, Byron House. Accessible Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.