Referring patients to me

The best patient outcomes are built on trust

According to the British Medical Journal, “patients’ trust in their [healthcare professionals] is absolutely fundamental to an effective clinical encounter”. There are three main elements of a great surgical outcome: a great surgeon, a great therapist, and a great patient. And where those three elements overlap, with mutual trust and a shared mission, you find the optimal chance of recovery. Our patients’ belief in us is so important. Equally important? Taking the time, as healthcare professionals, to know and trust each other enough to offer truly collaborative care. I regularly take referrals from the country’s top surgeons and consultants, who trust their patients to me as a fully involved and integrated member of each patient’s rehab team.

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Consultant testimonial

“Pain can be caused by dysfunction in other regions of the body and if these are not identified and treated then the pain simply will not get better by just focusing on shoulder exercises alone, and in some cases the pain can actually become worse. Patients become disheartened because they think that physio has failed but in fact they have not been given the right type of physio.

It takes years of skill to critically evaluate abnormal movement patterns and mal-coordination of the musculoskeletal system. It takes even more skill to understand how to treat them.

Nell Mead is exactly that sort of physio.

She cares deeply about her patients and is extremely thorough in her assessment. She develops very detailed and individual treatment protocols. She goes to great lengths to keep me informed of the progress of our patients and this shared collaborative approach has proven to be very reassuring and effective and has produced some excellent results. Nell often succeeds where previous non-surgical treatments have failed, but she also knows when the time is right for surgery, and she is with her patients through every step of the journey from initial consultation to final post-operative discharge.

I have no trouble at all in recommending Nell and I know that my patients are safe in her hands.”

Ms Susan Alexander, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Fortius Clinic

Building and influencing the relationship between surgeon, therapist, and patient

Building relationships with other healthcare professionals that you can trust to take care of your patients is a never-ending process. In this video, I talk through how to build and influence the relationship between surgeon and therapist, and explain how I decide where to refer my patients. Click through the image to play:

Referring a patient to me: next steps

I would love to help you to get your patients better, so if they have long-term or complex problems, please do send them my way – I have a lot of tools in my “clinical toolbox” and love a challenge.

If you refer a patient to me, my team will be in touch to ask for any information you can give me (such as clinic letters and MRI reports) – or if you prefer to be proactive, please send anything you have to help@nellmead.com where my team will ensure I receive everything in good time to be able to prepare.

If you are happy to discuss the case in person or over the phone, please just let my team know and we will make this happen.

I also love to get to know the other members of my patients’ teams, so if we do not already know each other when you refer a patient to me, I will probably want to get in touch and ideally visit you in clinic or in theatre, and/or meet up for a coffee. Alternatively, you are very welcome to visit me, with or without our mutual patient! I believe that the better we know and trust each other, the more effectively we can help our patients.

Get in touch to tell me about your patient, and let’s get started.