• Reference Number: HEY1593/2025
• Departments: Physiotherapy, Therapies
• Last Updated: 31 October 2025

Introduction

This leaflet has been produced to give you general information. Most of your questions should be answered by this leaflet. It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and the healthcare team but may act as a starting point for discussion. If after reading it you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team.

What is a patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) pathway?

A patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) means that we will not routinely book you an appointment, instead we are putting you in control of making your own appointments at a time when you need them most, within a given timeframe.

How does PIFU work?

You will have been given this leaflet because your healthcare professional is happy that you do not need to see them again unless you have a problem. If you do have any problems, you can contact the physiotherapy department on the given telephone number and, if it is needed, they will arrange an appointment, either by telephone, video or face to face. You can contact the physiotherapy department within three months of your last appointment if you feel that you need to be seen.

When should I call for a PIFU?

You can call to make an appointment if you:

• are not improving to a level that was expected
• have new or worsening symptoms relating to your condition such as:
  • pain
  • significant swelling
  • persistent neurological symptoms (tingling, numbness or weakness)

Please note, you can only initiate a PIFU appointment for the specific condition you were originally referred to the physiotherapy service for.

When should I not use PIFU?

• If your concern is related to a different condition.
• If the three month period has passed – in this situation, please contact your GP, consultant or specialist nurse to ask them about another referral.
• If you need urgent medical advice, you should contact your GP or NHS111.

What if I don’t need a PIFU follow-up appointment?

You do not have to arrange an appointment if you feel this is not required. If you don’t contact us to book an appointment within three months, the PIFU will expire, and you will be discharged back to the care of your GP/specialist referrer. We will not contact you to book a PIFU appointment – it must be initiated by you.

Booking a PIFU follow up appointment:

• Call the Physiotherapy Department on Tel: 01482 608939 (Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm – excluding bank holidays)
• State you are on a PIFU pathway and require an appointment
• Agree an appointment date and time
• Attend your telephone, video or face-to-face appointment

You or your parent/guardian can make an appointment to see us if you have any concerns related to your specific injury/condition until – Date:

Should you require further advice on the issues contained in this leaflet, please do not hesitate to contact the Physiotherapy Department on telephone: 01482 608939

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, your information will be shared between members of the 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 or social 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.

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.

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.