Great Ormond Street Hospital Senior Physiotherapist

Thanks to the funds provided by the DRF, we at the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre have been able to establish a new joint multi-disciplinary clinic. This clinic includes physiotherapy assessment and advice alongside the doctors’ clinical review, and it is dedicated to young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who are non-ambulant. In particular, with this help we are now able to provide a more complete and regular clinical service to families and patients, and continue with six-monthly physiotherapy assessment for all boys with Duchenne around and after loss of ambulation, up until transition to adulthood.

Since the grant was awarded, we have seen more than 130 patients in this clinic, across more than 500 appointments. We are also looking more in detail into upper limb strength using physiotherapy tools and scales to assess function in the upper body. We are keen to further develop this new clinic and make it a permanent part of the service we provide at GOSH, and further improve the care we provide to our young patients and their families. Crucially we were able to continue this service throughout the pandemic, whether in person or virtually.