Connect have over 60 staff working within the Primary Care team, including administrators, physiotherapists and GP’s with a special interest (GPwSI's).
Our Primary Care Management Team
In turn, the Primary Care team are led by a group of individuals with a clear vision of how a service should be managed and delivered. With a shared set of values and clear aims they focus primarily on patients and their problems but are also able to recognise the changing environment in which the service is delivered and the varying needs of our clients.
Examples of our Primary Care Management Team:
- Sam McIntyre - Head of Operations
- Dr. Graeme Wilkes - Clinical Lead and GPwSI
- Mark Philpott – Senior Operational Manager (Physiotherapy)
- Vanessa Robinson - Senior Operational Manager (Physiotherapy)
Our Primary Care Clinical Team
Connect have a growing team of over 30 senior physiotherapists delivering Primary Care services. Physiotherapy staff joining Connect’s Primary Care service will typically have had two or more years of post-graduate experience, including some time in the area of musculoskeletal conditions. They spend the first 8 months completing Connects Accelerated Development Program (accredited at Masters-level) whilst undertaking a clinical caseload and receive additional specialist training to deliver telephone advice in PhysioLine.
Most staff at this level work between PhysioLine and Primary Care Based Physiotherapy, usually based on three sites. Connect encourage staff to become fully integrated into the GP practice team where they are working. This facilitates good communication and joint learning, for the effective management of musculoskeletal problems.
Examples of our Primary Care Clinical Team:
- Rosie Webber, MCSP, Senior Physiotherapist
- Katherine Vials, MCSP - Senior Physiotherapist
- Paul Chesterton MCSP - Senior Physiotherapist
Our Team of Practitioners with Specialist Interests
This team includes physiotherapy Extended Scope Practitioners (ESP’s) and GP’s with Specialist Interests (GPwSI’s). These are individual practitioners trained to a specialist level with additional skills in the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal conditions. Connect either recruit specialist practitioners directly or train them from in-house practitioners through our Practitioners with a Special Interest (PwSI) Programme. These staff work in our IMATT (Intermediate Care) clinics.
Connect provides specialist practitioners to Primary Care with a view to providing the highest level of service possible whilst at the same time creating an efficient service that meets the needs of patients and clients alike.
Examples of our Practitioners with Specialist Interests:
- Matt Swatton – MCSP, ESP (Physiotherapy)
- Aimee Johnston - MCSP, ESP (Physiotherapy)
- Dr. Graeme Wilkes – GPwSI (Musculoskeletal)
- Dr. Rachel Scurfield - GPwSI (Musculoskeletal)