First Contact Practitioner Service

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The First Contact Practitioner service, also known as the First Contact Physiotherapist service, is a way for musculoskeletal (MSK) specialists to work side by side with GPs in local GP practices.

Circle MSK provide experienced physiotherapists to local GP surgeries. These physiotherapists assess patients with problems with their muscles, bones or joints (musculoskeletal care).

We offer this service so that patients can see an MSK specialist as soon as possible. We also think it’s vital to support GPs and work shoulder-to-shoulder in the community.

The physiotherapists working in GP surgeries offer:

  1. An assessment of patients with symptoms of a musculoskeletal problem as an alternative to them seeing their GP
  2. Early advice and exercises for patients who have not had their symptoms for very long
  3. An opinion on the best MSK pathway for more complex patients, who are then directed into Circle’s fully integrated MSK service