Bolton Therapy Centre celebrates 21 years in business
9th April 2013
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Bolton Therapy Centre  is celebrating 21 years in business.

Karen Willcock, Principal Physiotherapist at Bolton Therapy Centre, started the business in 1991 and was initially based at Higher Bridge Street.

Four years later, she moved to the present premises on Chorley Old Road.

Bolton Therapy Centre provides physiotherapy, acupuncture, reiki, sports massage, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, and aromatherapy for individual patients but also a range of businesses in Bolton and surrounding areas, including large and medium-sized companies, occupational health managers, HR consultants, business/lifestyle coaches and personal trainers.

Karen said: “We are delighted to have reached our 21st anniversary. We have seen some major changes in how patients are treated in this country with physiotherapy over the years and further, even more radical changes, are set to take place as a result of the Government’s Health Bill.”

“In recent years, NHS physiotherapists have started to provide only advice rather than a traditional hands-on treatment. We have also seen the average waiting time grow to 6 to 8 weeks before a patient requiring treatment is even seen by a physiotherapist in the NHS.”

“This delay means that patients suffer unnecessarily and have to take more time off work. It also means that employers lose the productivity of their employees for longer - often valued at thousands of pounds by the time the employee returns to work.”

“As a private physiotherapy practice, we try to see new patients the same day or the day after they call to make an appointment.”

“This means that patients suffer less, recover more quickly and take less time off work. For employers, this means that their employees get back to work more quickly which causes less or no interruption to work or business operations.”

“The Government’s Health Bill will change the treatment of patients for physiotherapy even further in lots of ways that we don’t believe will really benefit patients - at least in the NHS.”

Karen, who is a Chartered Senior Physiotherapist and Advanced Acupuncturist and a Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Accredited Clinical Educator for Manchester and Salford universities, is currently offering to explain how these changes will impact patients and GPs by providing in-service sessions to local GP practices.

Karen is joined at Bolton Therapy Centre by two fellow physiotherapists Richard Moss and Heather Caldwell.

They are complemented by homeopath Carmel Searson, hypnotherapist Gordon Hill, psychotherapist Liz Royle, and holistic therapist Petra Barlow.

The therapists are supported by practice manager Amanda Hough and receptionist Frances Minshull.

“We are the only practice locally - and one of only 50 nationally - to utilize the ‘Theraflex’ vertebral mobiliser as part of our treatment of back pain,” says Karen.

“The biggest difference between our approach to physiotherapy compared to some physiotherapists is that we treat patients in a holistic way.

“We don’t just look at the physical symptoms that patients are presenting to us; we look at the social and psychological factors that might be affecting a person’s symptoms before recommending a treatment plan.

“We then develop a recommended set of treatments that will tackle all the relevant issues rather than just the one symptom or problem a patient may present with.”

“We also always give patients the tools to self-manage their pain in order to reduce reliance on treatment and we do not encourage unnecessary visits once atreatent plan has been completed.”

Between now and the end of May the practice is offering a promotion to mark the 21st anniversary. New patients will only pay £21 instead of the usual £45 for the initial consultation.

 

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