Shadow health secretary hails physio team's efforts to slash wait lists

Speaking at the NHS Providers annual conference, Mr Streeting said: 'Great NHS leaders are coming up with brilliant solutions. Like the Sussex MSK Partnership who hired a local leisure centre and invited their entire waiting list.'

He also talked positively about how patients were able to receive immediate rehabilitation treatment and that 'people were saved months of being past from pillar to post, service to service.'

Mr Streeting's praise for the work of the physio team in Sussex follows a positive reaction from the CEO of NHS England Amanda Pritchard, who posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying:

This is a great example of how NHS teams are coming up with innovative and community-based solutions to help people get the treatment they need more quickly

Following Wes Streeting's speech, consultant physiotherapist, Laura Finucane, who has spearheaded the community appointment day approach also posted on X: 'We tried something different focusing on [what matters to you] conversations & supporting beyond people’s MSK conditions, it’s still work in progress, but has so much potential.'

Mr Streeting's address to the conference can be viewed in the video below (starting at around 15 minutes from the start):

Providing patients with what they need

The CSP has been working with the Sussex MSK partnership team to learn from the CADs, and see how a similar approach might be used in other NHS trusts across the UK.

Speaking at the last community appointment day, Sara Hazzard, CSP assistant director of strategic communications, said: ‘This is really a one stop shop for patients to get the exact kind of support they need. There’s everything here from physiotherapy services to social prescribers and voluntary health and wellbeing community services.

It’s been amazing to see patients arrive here and leave feeling supported and seen. Often, they didn’t even realise what they wanted or needed until they started to have these conversations based around what actually matters to them in their lives