First Contact Physiotherapy from Pure
Proudly supporting Primary Care since 2016, reducing frontline pressure and improving patient experience. Expert FCPs for your Primary Care Network.
Benefits of FCP
Pure Unity Health has been providing specialist First Contact Physiotherapy support to primary care since the early NHS England trials in 2016, making us one of the longest providers of this specialist service in the UK.
Our team of over 450 First Contact Practitioners now provide over 55,000 First Contact Physio interventions per month, working with over 1,200 GP Practices, and more than 220 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) nationally.
The positive impact our service has on patients and practices
Based on 436,607 patient contacts from January to August 2024:
98.3%
of patients using our FCP service did not need a follow-up with a GP – Reducing the MSK pressure on clinical teams, allowing GPs time to focus on medial need.
97.4%
of patients using our FCP service have ranked the service as ‘outstanding’ or ‘excellent’ based on NHS England’s roadmap to practice standards.
95.2%
of patients using our FCP service felt their concerns were given appropriate time and were properly addressed – Patient feedback shows strong confidence and recognised value in the FCP role.
87.5%
of patients did not return to primary care within 3 months for the same issue post their FCP session – Long term behaviour changes and promoting self-management and resilience.
86.6%
of patients are managed within our FCP support with no need for onward referral – Reducing pressure on MSK pathways and the wider health system.
of patients seen by our FCPs felt that they would require a further appointment as their needs were met with one FCP consultation – Appropriate safety netting, advice, education leading to ‘shared decision making’ which promotes confidence in self-management and care plans.
of patients are managed within our FCP support with no need for onward referral – Reducing pressure on MSK pathways and the wider health system.
Contact us today to see how we can help your PCN or practice
“We have been working with Pure Physio for around two years, and from my very first interaction with them, it’s been a great experience. They are flexible, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to any primary care network.”
Tara Humphrey
PCN Manager and
Primary Care Consultant
Read more testimonials:
Clinically Led
We are led by a clinical team of advanced clinical practitioners across a range of musculoskeletal, neurological, rheumatological and orthopaedic specialities. Clinical governance and quality assurance are embedded into our practice from top to bottom and we demonstrate this in a transparent and consistent way.
The Pure clinical leadership team works with NHS England on national clinical governance, research and data, and the evolution of the clinical road map structures to ensure consistency and quality across primary care. We actively seek to integrate with other roles in primary care and onward pathways to facilitate strong, integrated, neighbourhood teams.
Research Driven
As a learning focussed organisation, we are constantly looking to improve our services based on the latest research, including our funding of research across the UK Universities though our research grant scheme. We provide educational and training support to PCNs and practices for both clinical and non-clinical teams including face-to-face training, evening lectures, CPD study days and weekly MSK bulletins.
We are proud to have won multiple awards for our support to Primary Care Networks. We continue to innovate by refining the service we offer and integrating digital advances to improve patient care and reducing pressure on frontline primary care staff.
Learn more about Pure Unity Health here:
Your Challenges = Our Solutions
Challenge:
Increasing financial pressure in primary care
Solution
We are highly cost effective, delivering a quality of service within the current ARRS financial structure whilst meeting all the requirements under the GP contract. We don’t charge top up fees or management fees because we are FCP clinically led. Our FCP model is successfully used across 35 integrated care boards (ICBs) and meets all requirements.
Challenge:
The growing need demonstrate clinical activity
Solution
We deliver more new patient slots per week per FCP per WTE compared with the national average. Providing high quality patient care is at the core of all we do. Pure collect and present monthly FCP activity data for each primary care network we support. With increasing scrutiny on clinical activity and impact, this is an invaluable tool to future proof your FCP and ARRS service.
Challenge:
Limited time and ability to clinically supervise ARRS staff
Solution
We provide a fully supported and clinically governed service. All supervision structures, including daily debriefs, mandatory training and weekly CPD are included. Pure proactively supports our clinicians through close line management, data analysis and wider human resource elements. All patient feedback is reviewed and acted on to maximise the local focus for the teams in each PCN and GP practice. We are proud of our rigorous clinical governance structure which we feel is best in class. We see over 55,000 first contact patients per month in a safe and effective environment, reducing pressure on PCN and practice management teams.
Challenge:
Service development – how do PCN and GP practices get the best from ARRS roles?
Solution
Thanks to our over 8 years of experience of delivering FCP service into primary care and GP practices, we have learnt how to get the maximum impact from the FCP roles, and how best to integrate different ARRS roes to amplify the benefits that can be gained. Many of our team teach on MSc and FCP courses around strategies to maximise the benefit of FCP for the benefit of both patients and general practice. Integrating our data and feedback with published research, we have evolved our FCP offering to add support for women’s health, frailty, persistent pain support and de-prescribing projects. We are always keen to work with practices, and PCNs looking at developing or improving services.
Our award-winning FCPs support PCNs and GP Federations all over England.
With PCN partnerships from Cornwall to Carlise, Weston-Super Mare to Southwold, our network of specialist physiotherapists operate face-to-face or remotely depending on your local needs.
How does it work?
Collaborative Planning: We work with you to identify the most clinically and cost-effective FCP model for your practice and agree on a working approach.
Comprehensive Staff Training: We provide initial and ongoing virtual and in-person training for clinical and admin staff, ensuring understanding of local referral pathways for seamless integration.
Optimised Scheduling: We collaborate on diary templates and populate them before launch, maximising utilisation. We also implement a clinical staff education programme.
Continuous Support & Innovation: We offer ongoing support, information, and innovative approaches to ensure the highest quality service.
Why our supported FCP service can Reduce Pressure
PCN Direct Employment
Using Pure Unity Health
PCN Direct Employment
Identification and recruitment process (harder due to level of specialist knowledge required for the FCP role).
Using Pure Unity Health
Extensive team of experienced FCP practitioners (450+).
PCN Direct Employment
Specialist training needs (identification and implementation).
Using Pure Unity Health
Robust national and local training platform linking to the evolving competency for the FCP role.
PCN Direct Employment
Additional insurance linked to FCP national competencies.
Using Pure Unity Health
We work with NHS England and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy developing national competencies and our professional insurance is linked to this.
PCN Direct Employment
Sick pay and liability issues.
Using Pure Unity Health
Our responsibility.
PCN Direct Employment
HR costs directly held.
Using Pure Unity Health
Our responsibility.
PCN Direct Employment
Ongoing specialist training (clinic competencies, HCPC regulation, statutory training and HEE roadmap accreditation).
Using Pure Unity Health
We have over 450 FCP physiotherapists and ACPs directly working with us allowing great support and shared learning opportunities. Full support of our national network of FCP specialists.
PCN Direct Employment
Difficulties in professional peer support network limited to FCPs in one area. This is an important element of the HEE requirements for safe practice/competencies.
Using Pure Unity Health
We keep management costs low due to the clinically led nature of our service.
PCN Direct Employment
Difficulties in professional peer support network limited to FCPs in one area. This is an important element of the HEE requirements for safe practice/competencies.
Using Pure Unity Health
Need for non-clinical management (additional internal cost) to manage the structure and service development.
Pure Physiotherapy works with many PCNs and groups providing PCN work, allowing best practice across different regions to be shared to benefit all.
Pure Unity Health
Our Services for Primary Care
Pure Unity Health has been proudly supporting Primary Care with First Contact Physiotherapy services since 2016, reducing frontline pressure and improving patient experience. Expert FCP’s for your Primary Care Network.
Our Primary Care Pain Support Service supports people who attend primary care with persistent pain. Our comprehensive modular pain service is based on individual patient needs to facilitate long term, meaningful change.
Our structured primary care Women’s Health support programme, delivered by specialist physiotherapists, is designed specifically to help women receive early supportive advice, education and treatment to reduce the burden on the wider health system as well as primary care.
We partner with both NHS and independent organisations in the provision of bespoke programmes for the management of frailty and the increasing risks of falls associated injuries.
We work with public and private organisations supporting the management of waiting lists, bolstering support and helping patients access MSK management and ongoing support.
We have been supporting occupational health clients in Primary and Secondary Care for over 15 years. We partner with providers and directly with businesses to create support packages including rapid access and treatment and case management.
We provide support to NHS MSK pathways by increasing capacity both face-to-face and virtually for groups of patients at PCN and ICB levels. We deliver orthopaedic triage and advanced physiotherapy practitioner clinics both face-to-face and remote, providing rapid access expert care for patients.
As a research driven organisation we have developed an industry-leading CPD programme to enhance the knowledge and expertise of our teams. You can now access these resources for yourself or your teams and organisation.