Physiotherapy aims to help people of any age whose normal function has been disrupted by injury or illness. It:

uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being, taking account of variations in health status.

Physiotherapists assess and treat patients with a wide range of conditions including musculoskeletal, neurological, respiratory, and medical conditions. The aim is to help restore or maintain respiratory function, normal movement, strength, mobility and best possible function to patients who have had an illness or surgery.

Occupational therapy is the treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions through specific activities in order to help people reach their maximum level of function and independence in all aspects of daily life.

The aim of this therapy is to enable those who are temporarily or permanently disabled to be as independent as possible in their daily lives, whilst recovering from illness or adapting to disability.

The occupational therapy service includes teams working on the wards and in outpatient areas within the hospital premises. When patients leave hospital, staff may issue them with equipment which will help them at home, or patients may be referred to the Independent Living Services in Bolton who will assess what equipment they need in the long-term.

Podiatry is the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of common and more complex lower limb conditions associated with the toenails, soft tissues and musculoskeletal system with the purpose of maintaining or improving foot health.

At the outpatient clinics we can provide gait (the way a person walks or runs) analysis, biomechanical assessments and manufacture orthotics, and podiatry care including neurological and vascular assessments and nail surgery.

Our inpatient service covers all wards focusing on wound care and pressure relief, as well as providing routine podiatry care. We are part of the diabetic foot ulcer ward round carrying out neurological and vascular assessments when necessary.

Dietitians aim to enhance patients’ recovery from illness and surgery, and maximise general well-being. This is done through:

• Offering information and advice relating to nutrition and special diets to patients, healthcare staff, the catering department, the public and others.
• Individual patient assessment and advice relating to nutrition or special diets.
• Advising patients and healthcare professionals on appropriate means of nutrition support, from food fortification and supplements to enteral feeding (being fed through a tube) and total parenteral nutrition (where all nutrition is administered directly into a vein).
• Advising the catering department on menu design and dietary issues, to ensure that meals available accommodate patients’ nutritional, dietary, medical, cultural, religious needs and personal taste.
• Teaching sessions to student and qualified healthcare professionals of all grades, from basic nutrition awareness to specialist courses.

Orthotics is a predominantly outpatient service with ward visits on request, providing a wide range of orthoses which are devices designed to align, prevent or correct deformities and improve the function of moveable parts of the body. The types of orthoses provided range from helmets to footwear, to both adults and children.

They may be provided to assist patients with lifelong conditions or on a temporary basis to patients either before or after surgery.

The main aim of the service is to enable patients to maintain mobility and independence, reducing strain on family/carers and deferring the need for surgery and social services care.

The clinical health psychology team aims to help adults (age 18 – no upper age limit) who are experiencing emotional and psychological distress, whilst coping with, or moving on after, an acute or chronic physical health condition. We offer individual, couple, family and group-based therapy as appropriate.

Psychology input is provided to a number of services including: stroke, chronic pain, cancer services, palliative care, sexual health/HIV, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine and cardiology.

The aim is to support patients to:

• access specialist psychological assessment and treatment (including neuropsychological assessment within our stroke service, and specialist services for patients with sexual health conditions and sexual dysfunction)
• have a safe and confidential space to explore the impact of medical investigations and treatments
• explore the impact of living with acute or chronic conditions on overall quality of life and mood
• identify factors that may be affecting their emotional or psychological well-being which may then impact on their ability to cope with a physical illness.

Caesarian Section Delivery advice and support