Physiotherapy (Children and Families)

Placing the child & family at the centre of all care.

TSCUH Physiotherapy Department a stable, well- motivated, flexible, highly skilled team, is committed to providing holistic, evidence based, quality assured, and effective services in a compassionate, friendly & fun environment.

Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession which sees human movement as central to the health and well-being of individuals. Physiotherapists identify and maximise movement potential through health promotion, preventive healthcare, treatment & rehabilitation.¹

• TSCUH physiotherapy staff are CORU regulated - Chartered Physiotherapists with specialised extended qualification.
• Physiotherapists core skills include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory fitness assessment, electro physical modalities & patient education.
• Physiotherapists have an appreciation of biological, psychological, cultural and social factors influencing the health and wellbeing of their clients.
• The department has close professional lines of communication with TSCUH Consultants, MDT colleagues and academic partners.

Names of current team members 

Physiotherapy Manager – Ruth Creighton

Physiotherapy Reception – Conor Keyes

Physiotherapy Assistants– Deirdre Winston / Megan Farmer

Respiratory Team 

Kathryn Gilleese, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

Marie Hynes, Senior Physiotherapist - Respiratory & Neuromuscular

Claire Trotter, Senior Physiotherapist- Cystic Fibrosis

Neurosciences Team

Marie Morgan, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

Anthea Seager, Senior Physiotherapist Neurology / Neurodevelopmental

Andrea Lane, Senior Physiotherapist Neurology

Vacancy, Senior Physiotherapist Spina Bifida

Stephanie Fleming, Senior Physiotherapist Metabolic/Neurosciences

Musculoskeletal Team

Vacancy, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist

Kelly Robinson, Senior Physiotherapist Rheumatology

Caitriona Conneely, Senior Physiotherapist Plastics/Craniofacial

Chris O’Brien, Senior Physiotherapist Orthopaedics

Zita McAlister, Senior Physiotherapist Complex Spine

Endocrinology/Weight Management Team

Nicola Sheridan Clinical Specialist Rare Bone Conditions 

Lucinda Case Senior Physiotherapist

Rotating Staff Grades 

Laura O’ Kelly, Aisling O’ Grady, vacancy

Services provided 

Neurosurgery

Accessing the Service

The physiotherapy service in TSCUH supports the physiotherapy needs of children actively attending a TSCUH Consultant for a related medical problem.  The service is accessed through TSCUH Consultant or medical team referral to the department.  In keeping with hospital policy referrals from TSCUH teams are accepted for children under the age of sixteen years. The service cannot be accessed by GP’s.  Your GP may refer to the appropriate community physiotherapy service or may first refer to a TSCUH Consultant for opinion.

Physiotherapy Out-Patient Appointments

• Your child may be on a waiting list prior to commencing physiotherapy at TSCUH.  All referrals are triaged, prioritized and waiting times vary according to urgency and appointment capacity.
• You will receive a letter notifying you if your child has been placed on a waiting list.
• You will receive a letter or a phone call notification of your child’s first appointment and a text alert will follow as a reminder if the notification was by letter.
• A parent or guardian must attend the Physiotherapy Department with their child.
• Please attend on time. We may not be able to see your child if you arrive late. Allow plenty of time for traffic in the area and parking near the hospital.
• Appointments last for approximately 30 minutes. However your child’s first appointment may take longer.
• As your child may need to be undressed during the session you may wish to bring shorts/ vest to the session.
• This is a teaching hospital.  Your child may receive some or all of their treatment from a supervised physiotherapy student.  You may decline to have a student involved in your child’s treatment without affecting their treatment and future care in the hospital.  You must notify the Department in advance should you choose not to have a student involved in your child’s care.
• If you need to cancel an appointment please give at least 24hours notice as this means we can offer your appointment time to another child. Unfilled appointments results in a longer waiting list time for all children waiting to be seen by a physiotherapist. If you do not give at least 24 hours notice, it may be recorded as having failed to attend the appointment.
• Please note if you fail to attend an appointment without notifying us, you will be sent a letter asking you to make contact to reschedule.  If you fail to respond to this letter your child may automatically be discharged and will need to be re-referred by your Hospital Consultant if they require further physiotherapy.
• If your child fails to attend two appointments, without prior or sufficient notification, your child may be discharged from the physiotherapy service at the discretion of the treating physiotherapist.
• Each patient may reschedule a maximum of 2 appointments, except in extenuating circumstances.

Useful Links

• The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists
• The World Confederation for Physical Therapy
•  The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Do you offer work shadowing or clinical placement?

The physiotherapy department has an on-going commitment to both UCD & RCSI – providing undergraduate placements for 4^th year students.  Because of this commitment, space, HR & Occupational Health requirements the department is unable to accommodate additional requests for placements or transition year shadow.

Contacting us:

Tel.: (01) 878 4563

Email:

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm

Closed 1pm – 1.30pm – (1.00pm -2.00pm Wednesdays)

There is an answering machine for ‘after-hours’ and when reception is unmanned.  Please leave your child’s name, date of birth or hospital number and a contact number if you leave a phone message or include this information if you send an e-mail.