NHS Pathway

We are delighted to be able to provide manual therapy treatment, both chiropractic and osteopathy, on the NHS to patients in West Norfolk. We have been providers of this service for several years.

GPs and Nurse Practitioners in the Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group can refer patients on the Musculoskeletal Pathway for chiropractic, osteopathy or physiotherapy. This referral is assessed by AHP Suffolk, who accept, or decline, the referral. If it is declined, they will offer exercise and other advice for self-management.

Download The BCA’s Information for GPs and Healthcare Professionals leaflet here.

The GP/Nurse Practitioner may, when considering which treatment to advise, take into account how far you will need to travel, how long you will have to wait for an appointment (we can usually offer an appointment within a few days); and what services are provided, for example parking, ground floor access, evening or Saturday appointments.

If the GP/Nurse Practitioner specifies ‘manual therapy’ on the referral, the patient’s details will be sent to us, and we contact the patient to offer them the choice between seeing a chiropractor or an osteopath at a total of four different locations around West Norfolk. We write to the referring practitioner following the first visit to advise them of how we plan to manage the patient, and we also advise them again of the outcome at discharge.

We use a wide range of different techniques to treat low back pain; we use, of course, the characteristic manipulative techniques, but we also use other techniques, including mobilisation, massage, and other muscle or soft tissue techniques. We advise on exercises to strengthen and stabilise the involved area, posture, work related issues and other lifestyle changes. All of these are designed to provide the maximum improvement as quickly as is achievable. The first visit will take approximately 45 minutes and subsequent visits approximately 30 minutes.

The Musculoskeletal Pathway in the West Norfolk area mirrors that of the equivalent pathway which has been running in North East Essex for many years. The Essex scheme has produced a wealth of data, and published those results widely. It is seen as a template for the wider involvement of chiropractors and osteopaths in NHS provision. Whilst the data from the West Norfolk area is more limited, we do know that satisfaction rates for GPs are around 92% and for patients around 96%. There’s more data here.