Postcode lottery claim for patients recovering from hip or knee surgery

PATIENTS EXPERIENCE a “postcode lottery” in accessing physiotherapy following a knee or hip replacement, researchers say.

Their new study found that people are more likely to receive physiotherapy if they live in London or the North of England, while those in the South West are the least likely to receive it.

The research, from the University of East Anglia (UEA), said the results could not just be explained by a difference in the clinical needs of patients.

NHS guidelines currently recommend a minimum of six weeks of physiotherapy after a knee or hip replacement.

For the study, experts looked at data on 37,598 patients from the UK’s National Joint Registry.

They examined how much physiotherapy people received and compared it to the patient’s level of disability, where they lived, their age, social deprivation, gender and ethnicity.

The results showed that those having a hip replacement received less physiotherapy than those having a knee operation, while younger patients and women were more likely to receive physiotherapy.

Lead researcher Dr Toby Smith from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: “What we don’t know yet is exactly what the causes of this disparity are.

“Individual patient willingness to seek and take part in physiotherapy may be part of the problem.”

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said missing out on essential rehabilitation could have “devastating consequences”.