Robin works as part of the community neuro rehabilitation outreach team, based at Pilgrim hospital.
No two days are ever the same for Robin and here he talks us through life in his role and what he enjoys about working for the Trust.
‘We cover Lincoln, Louth, Grantham and Boston and each team consists of a physiotherapist and assistant, and an occupational therapist and assistant. There are also two rehabilitation consultants, two clinical nurse specialists and a dietician who covers all four areas, we also have close ties with speech and language therapy and neuropsychology.
I joined the team in May 2015 on a secondment when the team was undergoing a pilot to expand the service into what it is today as. It was commissioned as a permanent service in March 2016 and I was proud to become full time in my role.
I provide home-based neurological physiotherapy for Boston and its surrounding areas and also run an aquatic physiotherapy clinic one afternoon a week at Pilgrim hospital.
A typical day consists of coming into the office to prepare for the visits ahead, then jumping in the car where I can see anywhere from two to four (sometimes five) patients a day. Often I’ll perform a joint assessment or follow-up with my OT colleague or physio assistant but mostly visit patients on my own.
Our patients all have neurological conditions, excluding stroke and Parkinson’s disease. The type of patients really come under three categories. Those with chronic degenerative conditions who require input to help them self-manage their condition, patients who have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness and patients who have suffered some sort of neurological trauma. It’s all about helping them to embark on a journey of maximising their potential to regain as much functional ability as possible.
What I love best about my role is having the opportunity to build an excellent rapport with the patients. You can really get to know the person you are helping and spend quality time helping them to improve their lives and restore as much of their former selves as possible.
Some Neuro conditions can have devastating effects on a person’s life but when you are a part of making their lives manageable again, it becomes the most rewarding job in the world.
Just the other day one patient said to me, ‘thank you so much for coming, I’m not scared of falling when I need the toilet anymore or when I need to get out of bed’.
One of my proudest achievements was helping a patient with Multiple Sclerosis who hadn’t been able to leave their house in four years achieve their goal of taking their granddaughter to see Father Christmas at a local garden centre.
This role has given me some of the greatest satisfaction of my career. I get to work with amazing patients and colleagues alike.
I am so proud to be a physiotherapist and can honestly say I look forward to coming to work. The role isn’t easy but that’s probably why it rewards excellent job satisfaction.’