Surgical, critical care and cardiothoracic physiotherapy

Our surgical, critical care and cardiothoracic physiotherapy service work on the surgical and cardiothoracic wards and critical care units.

We work with patients to keep them motivated, involved, and set goals and targets for their recovery.

Physiotherapy team

We work with inpatients on the surgical and cardiothoracic wards and critical care units. Our team is made up of:

Specialist critical care/respiratory physiotherapists
Rotational critical care/respiratory physiotherapists
Junior physiotherapists
Associate practitioners
Assistant physiotherapists

Surgical and cardiothoracic wards

The physiotherapy team covers all the surgical and cardiothoracic wards. This includes vascular, liver, colorectal, upper-gastrointestinal, breast, cardiac, thoracic, transplant and urology specialities.

Our main role is to prevent breathing complications and decreased mobility for patients after their surgery. To help with this, we encourage patients to move around as soon as possible after their operation.

This will include sitting out of bed in a chair, walking on the ward and exercises to complete. The physiotherapist will encourage patients to set goals to achieve following their operation in order to keep motivated.

Critical care

The physiotherapy team works across all of the adult critical care units.

We provide emergency chest care to patients, and work closely with nursing staff and doctors on the units to help reduce patients’ reliance on artificial ventilators often known as ‘weaning’.

We also work with patients on critical care wards to focus on the rehabilitation of patients who have been critically unwell. Our work will involve:

Encouraging you to sit on the edge of the bed
Working on your sitting balance
Standing up from the bed or chair
Helping you to get up out of bed and into a chair
Walking on the critical care unit
Completing exercise programme to improve strength and mobility

Cardiothoracic

The physiotherapy team working on cardiothoracic wards.

The team also provide physiotherapy to patients who have had:

Cardiac or thoracic surgery
Organ transplant
Surgery to fit a ventricular assist device.

In addition to the above, cardiothoracic physiotherapy also includes:

Transplant assessment along with the rest of the dedicated transplant multidisciplinary team
Rehabilitation post organ transplant/ventricular assist device
Individualised exercise programme including attending gym for patients post ventricular assist device or transplant

Rehabilitation after Critical Illness

Critical illness is often a frightening and uncertain time for patients and their families. The effects of which can last for many months and years after. Every person is affected in slightly different ways:

Physical
Psychological
Emotional
Financial
Social

We have a dedicated physiotherapist working in the follow up service if you have a prolonged ICU stay on Ward 37 at the Freeman Hospital.

The physiotherapist will help guide your recovery through goal setting, debriefing your experiences and facilitating appropriate referrals. This will be done again in a follow up clinic a few months after you have gone home.

For more information:

Contact us

For more information about physiotherapy on surgical, critical care or cardiothoracic wards, please speak to the physiotherapist on the ward. Alternatively, you can contact:

Physiotherapy Team Leader at the RVI

Tel: 0191 282 9520

Senior Physiotherapist for surgery and Intensive therapy unit at the RVI

Tel: 0191 282 9184

Senior Physiotherapist neurological intensive therapy unit at the RVI

Tel: 0191 282 1838

Senior Physiotherapist surgery and ITU at Freeman

Tel: 0191 244 8220

Senior physiotherapist cardiothoracics and ITU at Freeman

Tel: 0191 244 8213

Senior physiotherpist transplantation at Freeman

Tel: 0191 244 8215