email : Webview : Your APCP Newsletter 1 February 2021

Eleanor Main - APCP Honorary President and UCL’s first ever professor of physiotherapy
We recently introduced Eleanor Main as the new Honorary President of the APCP, and would like to draw your attention to this article published in CSP Frontline magazine in February 2020. Here she talks about the steps she has taken in her career in paediatrics, her journey into research, and her involvement in Project Fizzio - an innovative device that links a child's airway clearance device to a computer game - transforming traditional respiratory physiotherapy for children with Cystic Fibrosis.

Supporting continued growth and development of the APCP membership
Thank you to all APCP members who are working hard to 'Actively Promote Children's Physiotherapy' through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise how important it is to connect and support each other, so that we can be best placed to deliver services to children, young people and their families. The APCP is a thriving and dynamic network with a growing membership of over 2,400 paediatric physiotherapists from across the UK. Here you can read more about how APCP is striving to support members and how you can get more actively involved in APCP activities and in promoting membership to yoour colleagues.

Find a Children's Physiotherapist

The PPIPS Committee are pleased to annouce that the new online directory of private practitioners has now been launched!

This is a very exciting step, helping families and professionals to Find a Children's Physiotherapist in the independent sector with the right skills and expertise to deliver appropriate care and best practice for the children and families that they work with.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Physiotherapists working in the Independent and Private Sectors

A significant number of Paediatric physiotherapists work externally to the NHS across the UK, in a variety of fields including private clinics, the community, charities, case management, private hospitals, education, industry, overseas & sports settings. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced this group of physiotherapists to adapt personally, as physiotherapists and as businesses.

This article aims to provide an overview of the impact on clinical practice for physiotherapists working external to the NHS, with contributions from a number of PPIPS committee members (Paediatric Physiotherapists in the Private Sector).

They hope to demonstrate the financial impact depending on the nature of employment, and to share experiences that will support clinical reflection and improve future practice

Read more

Regional Round-Up (January 2021)

"The past year has been challenging to say the least, but it has also afforded us opportunities as we have adapted to find new strategies to deliver the regional CPD programme and networking opportunities" (Alan MacDonald, APCP Vice Chair)

This summary of regional news from the past 6 months captures the fantastic work of the APCP regional committees. We would like to thank them for delivering such a range of excellent online CPD events, and for using technology to create networking opportunities. We also welcome new regional committee members, and would like to make a call for volunteers to join the Regional Committees in the Northern Ireland, South and Trent Regions - if you are interested please do not hesitate to get in touch!

Q&A with Barry Johnstone - APCP Journal Editor

Whether you are considering writing up a piece of research, service development, audit, a literature review or case study, Barry Johnstone, APCP Jornal Editor has your questions answered and encourages you to submit your work to the APCP journal

Read more.

Sharing Appreciation for the APCP Education Bursary
Have you considered applying for an APCP Bursary? If you would like to know more, Natalie Walsh shares her experience of recieving an APCP Bursary in 2020 to support her studies for a MSc of Advanced Physiotherapy in Paediatrics at University College London.

Read more.

WheelPower release wheelchair workouts for children and young people...

WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport has been supporting disabled people to stay active for over 70 years. From our home here at Stoke Mandeville Stadium we provide opportunities for people of all ages to take part in sport and benefit from physical activity. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that unfortunately events such as the National Junior Games and our regional sports camps have been cancelled, so in response to these changes we began creating online resources to help disabled people to stay active from their homes. Since March 2020 we have hosted 60 live classes, created 36 exercises videos and now have recently launched a new series of 10 exercise videos for Young People.

Click here to hear more from Ella Beaumont (GB U25 Wheelchair Basketball) and our Chief Executive Martin McElhatton OBE about how we developed these fantastic resources.

LusioMATE launches innovative rehab gaming platform in the UK

LusioMATE is designed to motivate players to achieve their movement goals with 28 fun and engaging games on the LusioMATE gaming platform. LusioMATE involves a wearable device that connects, via bluetooth, to the game apps which are downloadable to all mobile devices and smart TVs.

Developed under close guidance from clinicians and families from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, LusioMATE is now proud to be helping clients with a wide variety of needs such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spinal injury and muscular dystrophy. LusioMATE is especially designed for doing physical therapy outside of the clinician’s appointment, as part of a home program, or even when travelling and on the go, with portable hardware. Clinicians can also monitor progress and update movement goals remotely via the dashboard within the games.

For more information and organise a demonstration email Jamie Borg jamie@lusiorehab.com or call 07832 135773

The Activity Alliance release response to Active Lives Children and Young People Survey

The Activity Alliance have released a response to the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, published by Sport England on 14th January 2021. Data was captured across the 2019/20 academic year for almost 90,000 children and young people (aged 5-16), revealing that the number of children who were physically active fell by 1.9% compared to the previous year. Although the activity levels of disabled children were similar to their non-disabled peers, they continue to have less positive attitudes towards sport and physical activity. These findings highlight the ongoing need for paediatric physiotherapists to promote physical activity for these children, particularly with the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporting students in challenging times

Jade Dikken, Physiotherapy Student from the University of Southampton and her clinical supervisor Binita Shah share their experiences of undertaking a clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic.