A PHYSIOTHERAPY provider with a clinic in Guiseley has been helping a health trust prevent staff injury.

Physio Med's work for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (SCH) has saved hundreds of hours in sickness absence.

The firm, which has a head office in Leeds and treatment rooms in Guiseley, has been providing physiotherapy services for the Trust since last year.

Its efforts have helped SCH employees recover from injuries and return to work more quickly and safely, with staff who used the service between February, 2017 and January, 2018 reporting an average reduction in pain levels of 58 per cent.

They have also reported an average increase in productivity of 64 per cent.

Those improvements are estimated to have saved the Trust about £198,000.

The Physio Med service also allows staff to have any musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) assessed within three days - compared to the current average time to access NHS physiotherapy of more than 14 weeks.

Deputy Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at SCH, Jane Clawson, said: "We value the wellbeing of our staff and want them to be well taken care of.

"By providing an occupational physiotherapy provision we’ve reduced MSD-related sickness absence and helped staff return to full health - and return to work - sooner. "The support we have received from Physio Med throughout has been excellent."

Managing Director at Physio Med, Phil Clayton, added: "We were delighted when SCH approached us about providing our physiotherapy service to its staff.

"NHS employees do incredibly important work and we’re happy to do whatever we can to help them stay fit for work."