Kate is our GP Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner (APP), and she now works in the Practice all day Monday and on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. If you have, or think you have, a musculoskeletal (MSK) problem she provides an alternative to speaking to your GP.

Kate provides expert assessment of all MSK conditions (e.g. muscle, bone and joint problems), such as back, neck, shoulder or knee pain. She can provide you with a clinical diagnosis, give you advice on how to manage the problem, and suggest appropriate exercise for you to work on independently.

With your agreement and when appropriate, Kate can refer you to specialist services, such as physiotherapy for supported rehab, X-ray or orthopaedics, and, if necessary, she can liaise with your GP to arrange medication or discuss any non-MSK symptoms which may have been found during your consultation.

You can book appointments with Kate directly via reception, in the same way as you would book a GP or nurse appointment.  Our reception team has also been trained to identify problems that might be better addressed by an APP, so they may suggest seeing Kate rather than one of the GPs.   Additionally, your GP may, after speaking to you, recognize that your issue needs an expert MSK opinion, and ask you to book a consultation with Kate.

You can self-refer to physiotherapy. More information can be found on the following website; Self-referral – Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership: Physiotherapy (nhslothian.scot)