Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) Leaflet – Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

Nikki Harrison

  • Reference Number: HEY1643/2026
  • Departments: Physiotherapy
  • Last Updated: 31 May 2026
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What is a Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)?

Following your recent appointment, you have been placed on a Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) pathway with the Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Service.

PIFU means you can contact us for a follow-up appointment if you feel you need one, rather than being given a routine appointment.

This approach:

  • Allows you to manage your own recovery
  • Avoids unnecessary hospital visits
  • Ensures appointments are available when you need them most

You should contact us if:

  • Your symptoms worsen
  • Your symptoms return
  • You are not improving as expected
  • You feel you need further support or advice for your current condition

How Does It Work?

Your clinician has assessed that you are suitable for PIFU and will have discussed this with you. Your PIFU will be active for between 3 to 12 months. The exact timeframe will be confirmed in your clinic letter. During this time, you can contact the service to request a follow-up appointment if needed.

Appointments may be offered as:

  • Telephone
  • Video
  • Face to face

How Do I Book a PIFU Appointment?

To request an appointment, please contact the Pelvic Health Physiotherapy service at the number below and let them know you are on a PIFU pathway.

Hull University Hospitals Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Tel: 01482 469364 – Monday to Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (Scunthorpe and Goole) Tel: 03033 302385 – Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:30pm

Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital (Grimsby) Tel: 03033 304576 – Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm

When I Should not use PIFU

PIFU is not suitable if:

  • Your concern is unrelated to your original condition
  • Your PIFU time period has ended
  • You require urgent medical advice

For urgent concerns, please contact: Your GP or NHS 111

Appointments

If you book an appointment, it is important that you attend. If you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so your appointment can be offered to another patient. Failure to attend may result in discharge from the service and a new referral being required.

What if I do not need a follow up?

You do not need to contact us if your symptoms have improved or resolved.

If you do not request an appointment within your PIFU timeframe, you will be automatically discharged from the service.

Further Information

Your feedback matters to us…

To ensure we deliver a safe and quality service and to help us understand the experience you have of the care you receive from our staff we would value your thoughts about the service you received.

You may be contacted as part of our quality assurance programme which is where we visit our teams and staff and talk to them about the care they provide to our patients or at any time during or after you have needed our services.

To collect this feedback, we would contact you using the registered telephone number we hold in your care record. This feedback will be strictly anonymous and whilst we will share the feedback as part of the process, we will not share any details which may identify you.

We will never ask you any personal questions about your health during these telephone calls.

If you do not wish to speak to us, please say this when we call, we do not want you to feel pressured.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

  • you must be able to give your consent
  • you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
  • you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.