How do I get to the Bobath Centre?

THE BOBATH CENTRE
for Adults with Neurological Disability
Physiotherapy Services
If you have neurological disability, therapy at the
Bobath Centre can help you re-establish the physical
skills needed for active participation in everyday
life, regardless of your age or how long you have had the
disability.
Our highly skilled therapy team have years of experience
treating a wide variety of neurological conditions including
stroke, MS, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.
The Bobath approach to the treatment of adults with
neurological disability has achieved international
recognition as one of the foremost approaches to the
treatment and management of people with neurological
conditions.
The aim of Bobath therapy is to improve or restore your
function following neurological impairment. Treatment is
tailored to your individual needs and is based upon an
assessment of your abilities and analysis of your
movement disorder. Specialised handling techniques help
to reduce spasticity and facilitate more normal movement.
Therapy sessions at the Bobath Centre focus on giving
you the opportunity to experience more efficient and
effective movement and on finding ways to enable you to
incorporate these different movement strategies into your
daily activities.
If you would like an appointment at the Bobath Centre,
this booklet will help to guide you.
The Bobath Centre, Bradbury House, 250 East End Road, London N2 8AU
Phone: 020 8444 3355 Fax: 020 8444 3399 Web: www.bobaththerapy.org.uk
Contents
What is Bobath therapy? ............................................................ 3
What kinds of conditions are treated? ........................................ 3
Who will provide my treatment? ................................................. 4
What types of appointment are available? ................................. 4
What can I expect from a consultation? ..................................... 4
What can I expect from a 10-session block of therapy? ............. 5
How do I arrange an appointment? ............................................ 6
Treatment costs from 1 April 2014 ............................................. 7
Is it possible to have NHS funding? ........................................... 6
Other ways of funding treatment ................................................ 7
Will my local therapist be involved? ........................................ .. 7
How do I get to the Bobath Centre? ........................................... 8
Do you provide accommodation? ............................................... 8
What facilities do you provide? .................................................. 8
Any comments? ......................................................................... 8
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What is Bobath therapy?
The Bobath approach to treatment can significantly assist people living with a
neurological condition to re-establish the physical skills needed for everyday life.
Therapy sessions at the Bobath Centre focus on giving you the opportunity to
experience more efficient and effective movement and on finding ways to enable you
to incorporate these different movement strategies into your daily activities.
We will help you to understand your condition and, together with your relatives, to be
an active participant in the problem-solving process.
Using specialised handling techniques, Bobath therapists can reduce muscle
stiffness and help to restore movement so that regular activities such as walking,
dressing, or eating can be carried out with greater independence.
The Bobath approach to the treatment of adults with neurological disability was
pioneered by Mrs Berta Bobath in the 1950s. It has achieved recognition as one of
the foremost approaches to the treatment and management of people with
neurological conditions.
The concept continues to be developed by Bobath therapists working in this
specialist field.
What kinds of conditions are treated?
We specialise in treatment for people with:
•
acquired neurological conditions caused, for example, by strokes or head
injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury (incomplete) and Parkinson’s.
•
neuro-developmental conditions, such as cerebral palsy.
During treatment, we:
•
work with you to set goals that will improve your ability to function in everyday
life.
•
analyse what is limiting your activity in different situations and provide
appropriate therapy.
•
advise you on home activities.
•
help to minimise the potential secondary effects of your condition.
•
work with you to show you ways to manage your condition.
•
advise on equipment that may be of assistance to you.
•
recommend ways in which you can improve or maintain your fitness.
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Who will provide my treatment?
You will be treated by a senior therapist who is a specialist in neurology.
The therapy team at the Bobath Centre includes therapists with experience of
treating adults with a variety of acquired neurological conditions and cerebral palsy
as a lifelong condition. As a minimum standard, our adult physiotherapists have
taken a recognised three-week adult Bobath course in neurology; our current
therapists are vastly more experienced.
The skill mix of therapists at the Bobath Centre provides the best possible
knowledge base for managing the whole spectrum of neurological conditions treated
at the Centre.
What types of appointment are available?
Initially we offer two types of appointment:
-
a 1½ hour consultation and report with a senior therapist for advice on treatment
or
-
a 10-session block of assessment and treatment (one session of at least
45 minutes per day) often taken over a two-week period
What can I expect from a consultation?
A consultation is an appointment of approximately 90 minutes in which we focus on:
•
your current needs and specific aspects of treatment, and
•
giving you advice on therapeutic management of your condition.
During the consultation we may use equipment that enhances your activity, but the
focus of a consultation is on therapy and not directly to address equipment needs.
Following your consultation we will send you a report which usually includes
suggestions for home activities. We will copy the report to your doctor and local
therapist, if appropriate. If your local NHS has funded the consultation, they may also
request a copy of the report.
After an initial consultation appointment, there are various options for further therapy.
•
a course of therapy may be offered
•
regular treatment sessions may be offered to people who live within easy
reach of the Bobath Centre
•
daily therapy is available on a short-term basis for those who live further away
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What can I expect from a 10-session block of therapy?
A course of treatment usually consists of 10-sessions of assessment and treatment
in which the therapy is provided by a Bobath physiotherapist.
The therapy will be on an individual basis with each treatment session lasting at least
45 minutes.
The 10-session course may be taken over an intensive two week period, one session
a day, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, if you live within easy commuting distance of
the Centre you might take your sessions over a longer period, for example twice a
week over a 5-week period.
Assessment:
During the first appointment our therapist will spend time getting to know you. They
will ask many questions about what you can do, what you find difficult, and about the
things that you would like to be able to do. Our therapist will document their findings
during this detailed assessment of your condition.
Identifying goals:
We may also use some specific standardised assessments and outcome measures
to look at some areas in more detail. If you are in agreement we may also take some
video of how you move. We will identify goals with you, which will provide a focus for
therapy and will be evaluated by the end of the therapy block.
Therapy:
Therapy sessions will involve a variety of activities, some of which will be considered
useful to be continued at home to enhance and progress functional skills. These will
be demonstrated to you and there will be an opportunity for you to try these out under
the guidance of the therapist until you feel confident to continue.
After therapy:
Following your course of treatment, we will send you a report including suggestions
for home activities. We will also send a copy to your doctor. If your local NHS has
funded the course of treatment, they may also request a copy of the report.
After a course of therapy, there are various options for further therapy.
•
a follow-up course of therapy may be offered;
•
regular treatment sessions may be offered to people who live within easy
reach of the Bobath Centre;
•
daily therapy may be offered on a short-term basis for those who live further
away.
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How do I arrange an appointment?
If you would like an appointment please ask your doctor or consultant to send us a
referral letter addressed to:
The Director of Therapy Services,
The Bobath Centre, 250 East End Road, London N2 8AU
The letter should contain the following information:
• details of your related medical history including medication
• any current treatment you are undergoing
• the type of appointment requested
We accept doctors’ referrals for people who live in the UK and from all other
countries. All correspondence and documents should be in English.
Is it possible to have NHS funding?
Treatment costs may be covered by the NHS if you are a permanent resident in the
UK. If you are coming to the Bobath Centre from overseas you will be paying for your
own treatment as NHS funding is not available for people who are not permanently
resident here.
The NHS has recently undergone extensive reorganisation. Clinical Commissioning
Groups (CCGs) replaced primary care trusts on 1st April 2013. There are over
200 CCGs and each one operates slightly differently.
What you can do to find out if NHS funding is possible
The first thing you should do is to talk to your GP about whether it is possible to
arrange an application for NHS funding for treatment at the Bobath Centre.
We are finding that applications to the NHS can take three to four months or more
and there is no guarantee of funding being approved.
If NHS funding has been requested by your doctor, we will contact you to arrange
an appointment once we have written confirmation from the CCG or your doctor
that NHS funding has been agreed for you to have therapy at the Bobath Centre.
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Other ways of funding treatment
If NHS funding is not available for your treatment at the Bobath Centre, you could
think about the following options:
Using private insurance cover
If you have private health insurance it may be worth checking to see if you would be
covered for treatment.
 You will need to be certain that your policy covers treatment at the Bobath
Centre, so you will need to contact your insurance provider direct regarding your
policy.
 If you are covered under your policy, we will expect you to pay our fees and then
reclaim payment from your insurance company. We will provide appropriate
invoices/receipts to facilitate this.
Fundraising to pay for treatment
You can choose to fundraise to help pay for your therapy at the Bobath Centre. We
have put together some information on ways of raising funds to help you get started.
Further information is available on our website www.bobaththerapy.org.uk
Funding treatment yourself
Treatment at the Bobath Centre can be self-funded.
 We ask you to pay before treatment takes place – full details of how to pay will
be given in the letter offering you an appointment.
 Payments can be made by bank transfer, debit/credit card or cheque.
 If you are coming to the Bobath Centre from overseas you will be paying for your
own treatment as NHS funding is not available for people who are not
permanently resident in the UK.
 An administration fee is payable by people coming to the Bobath Centre from
outside the European Union.
Treatment costs from 1 April 2014
Consultation with a senior therapist:
£450
10-session course of treatment (usually taken over 2-weeks):
Includes one treatment session a day, for ten sessions, plus
a report on the treatment given and recommendations for
future management, which will be supplied to you and
your referring doctor.
£1,260
Charge for treatment in addition to the minimum - per session:
£105
On going weekly treatment - per session:
£105
Administration charge for all non-European Union patients
£360
The fees above include any letters or reports and/or the Home Programme
Treatment Plan. If two therapists work with you an additional charge may be made.
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Will my local therapist be involved?
We are keen to liaise with local therapists. Please let us know if you would like your
local therapist to be invited to attend.
How do I get to the Bobath Centre?
The Bobath Centre is in north London and by car is within easy reach of the M1 and
North Circular Road (A406). We have a large visitors’ car park. Travelling by public
transport, East Finchley underground station (Northern line) is seven minutes’ walk
and there are good local bus links.
Do you provide accommodation?
The Bobath Centre is an out-patient centre so we do not provide accommodation. If
you cannot travel daily to the Bobath Centre, you will need to arrange hotel or guest
house accommodation. We have a list of local hotels, apartments and B&Bs
available on request; you would need to check that any accommodation is suitable
for you.
What facilities do you provide?
The Bobath Centre building is on one level and accessible throughout. We have a
family kitchen with fridge-freezer and microwave and a washer-dryer in our laundry
room - facilities to make a stay away from home as easy as possible. We have two
disabled access toilets and a disabled access shower.
Any comments?
At the Bobath Centre we welcome any feedback that you give us about any aspect of
your experience of our services.
We want to know when things go wrong, so that they can be put right quickly. Staff at
the Bobath Centre regard complaints as an opportunity to improve the service we
provide. We recognise our duty to our patients, their carers, healthcare professionals,
course participants, fundraisers, volunteers, purchasers of our services and the
community of which we are part. Any formal complaint should be made in writing
and be addressed to the Director of Administrative Services.
We also like to know when things are going well; compliments are always passed on
to the staff involved.
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Notes
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The Bobath Centre
for Adults with Neurological Disability
Bradbury House
250 East End Road
East Finchley
London N2 8AU
Tel: 020 8444 3355
Fax: 020 8444 3399
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bobaththerapy.org.uk
Registered charity number: 1039162
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