We manage appointments through the NHSGGC Referral Management Appointment Booking Centre. This can include you self referring into Orthotics, cancelling or rescheduling an Orthotic appointment, or any other general queries regarding your Orthotic treatment.
You can contact us by calling 0800 592087 or email us on appointmentsbookingcentre@ggc.scot.nhs.uk. This is open Monday to Friday 8.00am – 8.00pm and on a Saturday 9.00am – 1.00pm (excluding Public holidays). 5pm-8pm tend to be the quieter times to contact by phone.
We will add you to our waiting list for the first available appointment. Our Maximum waiting time for an appointment is 12 weeks.
You will receive a letter asking you to “opt-in” to receive an appointment and invite you to call to arrange an appointment at a time, date and location that suit you.
New appointments can be:
Your first time accessing the service.
For a replacement Orthosis.
For reassessment of a new type of Orthosis.
Finally, for a new Orthotic appointment over 12 weeks since your last appointment
You may need to bring shorts to your appointment to allow your Orthotist to do a full biomechanical assessment and allow for casting/scanning/measuring if required.
Significantly, if you fail to attend any appointment without telling us in advance, or if you cancel at short notice (i.e. less than 24 hours) on more than two occasions, we will remove you from our list and write to your doctor. This is in line with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s ‘Did Not Attend’ and ‘Cancellation Policy’.
For more help using Near Me, you can use this Easy Read guide.
What is Near Me?
Near Me is a video consulting service that enables people to have health and social care appointments from home or wherever is convenient. All you need is a device for making video calls like a smartphone and an internet connection. Near Me is a secure form of video consulting approved for use by the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland.
How does Near Me work?
We will send an appointment letter with a date and time, including the website address and a link for the video clinic in your . However, there is no need to download an App or create an account, or provide personal details such as passwords or pin numbers. We will ask the same questions if you were face to face in the clinic.
Occassionally, Near Me video consulting is not suitable for all consultations, for example, if you need a physical examination or a procedure. Your health or social care provider can advise you on what is appropriate for you. We will send a leaflet that gives you support to get set up and start your call.
We will make a second appointment for you to have the Orthosis fitted. Another fitting appointment may be required to get the right fit.
Following this, your Orthotist will arrange return appointments before you leave your first appointment.
Review Appointment
Your Orthotist may have already booked a review appointment for you before you leave your fitting appointment if they feel they need to check on your progress with what they have given you. This can be in person or by telephone.
If you are having problems within 12 weeks of your last Orthotic appointment, you can contact us to make a review appointment.
Please bring your Orthotic device to the appointment with you for review so we can see what the problem is. We won’t start any new treatment until we can check the problem with the old device.
We will not make a second review appointment if you miss one. You can re-access Orthotics through the contact details above.
Repair Appointment
This is a short 5 minute slot to either:
Hand Orthosis in for repair/adaption
Collect your repaired/adapted Orthosis.
You do not have to attend in person, a friend carer or relative can hand in or pick up your device for you.
Please Note: You will not see an Orthotist at these appointments. Your repair will be collected by an Orthotic clinical assistant who will be unable to help you with any clinical queries and if you have any, they will need to book you a future appointment to see an Orthotist.
Emergency Repair Appointment
You can arrange to see a technician from Gartnavel Laboratory which only be carried out at Gartnavel General Hospital.
This is to have an Orthosis repaired while you wait but these are limited and can only be granted if you have no spare device or alternative other than waiting for your device to be repaired.
Please Note: You will not see an Orthotist at these appointments.
What to expect at your appointment
You will see either a qualified Orthotist, student Orthotist (under supervision) or an Orthotic clinical assistant practitioner. We will ask questions about your problem. Everything you tell us is confidential. The physical assessment may involve the Orthotist touching the affected area, testing your movement and strength.
After your assessment, we will discuss your problem; agree goals and a treatment plan with you. We can also offer advice and exercises to allow you to manage your problem yourself.
The treatment plan may include a customised or custom made orthotic device. In order to make a device to fit you, we may need to take measurements, scans or casts.
You are free to withdraw your consent to assessment or treatment at any time. When your treatment ends, we will send a discharge letter to your General Practitioner (GP).
Children and Young People Orthotic Services
(Greater Glasgow, Specialist, Regional and National Children’s Services)
If you live in the Glasgow area or require information on Specialist, Regional and National Children’s Services then please visit the Royal Hospital for Children Glasgow Orthotics page for more information and contact details.
Orthotic clinics are on Tuesday mornings and Thursday all day at Renfrew Health and Social Care Centre.
Come in the main entrance and take the stairs or lift on the right to the first floor. Take a seat on the orange chairs and the Orthotist will call you and your child at their appointment time.
Vale of Leven Acorn Centre
Orthotic clinics are on Wednesday afternoons at the Acorn Centre.
Come in the Maternity Entrance the Acorn centre is on the first floor and well sign posted. Please check in with the receptionist and take a seat in the waiting area.
Inverclyde Royal Hospital Skylark Centre
Orthotic clinics are every second Wednesday AM at the Skylark centre.
Take the lifts to floor L. Turn Right into the children’s centre. Please check in with the receptionist and take a seat in the waiting area.
Appointment Types
New assessment
If it is your child’s first time accessing the service.
For a new Orthosis the same as they have received before.
For a new Orthosis they have not had before even though they have been seen at Orthotics in the past.
If their last appointment with us was longer than 12 weeks ago and you need to see an Orthotist again.
Your child may need to bring shorts to the appointment to allow the Orthotist to do a full biomechanical assessment and allow for casting/scanning/measuring if required.
If you fail to attend any appointment without telling us in advance, or if you cancel at short notice (i.e. less than 24 hours) on more than two occasions, we will remove you from our list and write to your doctor. This is in line with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Did Not Attend and Cancellation Policy.
If you wish to cancel or reschedule any appointment please telephone 0800 592087 with as much notice as possible.
You can contact us Monday to Friday 8.00am – 8.00pm and on a Saturday 9.00am – 1.00pm excluding Public holidays.
If your child has already been assessed for an Orthosis, the next appointment will be to have this fitted. They may need more than one fitting appointment.
This appointment will be arranged by the Orthotist before you leave your first appointment.
Review appointment
The Orthotist may have already booked a review appointment for your child before you leave your fitting appointment if they feel they need to check on their progress with what they have given you. This can be in person or by telephone.
If they have no future appointment booked and are having problems with their Orthotic device within 12 weeks of seeing the Orthotist you can call us on 0800 592087 to arrange a review.
Please bring the Orthotic device to the appointment with you for review so we can see what the problem is. We won’t start any new treatment until we can check the problem with the old device.
If you miss a review appointment, no further appointments will be arranged unless requested by yourself.
For additional information and advice on child development and access to advice, strategies, and self-help support with information provided by all the different health care disciplines working within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Specialist Children’s Services please visit the kids site.
This page contains information and resources for Orthotic patients and carers regarding wear, care and maintenance of common Orthoses. Information on appointments can be found here.
ALISS’s aim is to ensure that everyone in Scotland has the right information, at the right time, about resources that are available to help them live well and stay connected to their community.
Resources you can find on ALISS are added and edited by people living and working in the community.
You may never meet everyone in the Orthotics team however we all work together for you. We are always looking for feedback in our service, you can do this through Care Opinion. To arrange an appointment, the information can be found here.
Orthotics is a team of around 40 people who deliver the Orthotic service for NHSGGC across 8 acute hospital sites although most of the team work at Gartnavel General hospital where our admin and technical staff are based.
Our Clinical and Management team can cover more than one hospital so it may not always be the same person you see at every appointment, but we always aim to help you reach your goals. However if you would like to see the same person again please let them know when arranging your follow up appointment.
We have 4 different teams who all work together to provide high quality care for you. The Clinical and Clinical assistants may be who you see at your appointments, but the Administration, Technical and Management teams are equally important to the effective and high quality service that we provide.
You can see our teams in the pictures below.
Administration Team
Clinical TeamClinical Assistants TeamTechnical TeamManagement Team
An Orthotic clinic will run from 9.00am until 12.00pm and 1.00pm until 4.00pm Monday to Friday.
You can request to be seen in any of our 8 Orthotic clinic locations when you self refer or opt in to booking an appointment. Please tell the call handler which hospital site you prefer to attend if you have a preference. However, you may be offered a sooner appointment at another hospital.
Furthermore, if you require further information or have to change an appointment, see information here.
On entering hospital through main entrance, Orthotics is signposted on your left. Enter the Therapies department and follow signs to the Orthotics waiting area. There is no need to report to anyone, please take a seat in waiting area and your Orthotist will call you in at your appointment time.
Location: Therapies department in the Queen Elizabeth Building of Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Enter via the Alexandra Parade entrance to the main concourse. Go past all Outpatient Clinics and the X ray department following signs to Orthotics. On entering the Therapies department, please take a seat in the main waiting area. There is no need to report to anyone, your Orthotist will call you in at your appointment time.
Location: Orthotics is on the ground floor; from the main entrance, go to the right and follow the corridor past outpatients department.
Follow signs towards physiotherapy then take the first corridor to the right. From there take the first Left. The 2 Orthotic clinic rooms are on the right. There is no need to report to anyone, please take a seat in the corridor and your Orthotist will call you in at your appointme
Location: Orthotic clinic is in the Therapies Department at the EAST Entrance of the Hospital.
Please take a seat in the waiting area beside the Therapies Reception. There is no need to report to anyone, your Orthotist will call you in at your appointment time.
Location: Enter via the Main Entrance. The Orthotic Clinic is within Clinic F which is on the ground floor near the atrium.
Walk past Clinic F reception desk and take a seat at the far end of the waiting room next to the Orthotic Clinic room. There is no need to report to anyone, please take a seat in waiting area and your Orthotist will call you in at your appointment time.
Location: The department is on the ground floor on the left hand side of the main atrium when coming in main entrance.
Follow signs for Waiting Area B. Wait at the reception desk and the administration team there will check you in. Take a seat in the waiting area (towards the end is closer to the clinic) and the Orthotist will call you in from there.
There are 2 different locations for Orthotics at the RAH so please check the location written on your letter to make sure you go to the correct department.
Clinic Room 1 – (your letter will say)
Location: Orthotic Department Clinic 1 Main Outpatients Royal Alexandra Hospital
This is located within the Main Outpatients RAH. Come in the main entrance and turn right. Go past Reception 1 towards Reception 2. Take a seat in the waiting area just before Reception 2. There is no need to report to anyone. The Orthotist will call you at your appointment time.
Clinic Room 2 – (your letter will say)
Location: Orthotic Department Clinic 2 Royal Alexandra Hospital
Please note, directions for this clinic are, walk straight through the main foyer of RAH and take the first right past the WRVS coffee shop and take a seat at the row of bench seats on the right hand side before the entrance to the long glass corridor. There is no need to report to anyone, your Orthotist will call you in at your appointment time.
It’s possible you may be asked to attend either clinic room during the course of your treatment so always check your letter to make sure you go to the correct place.
Clinics run AM and PM on Thursday, and AM one Wednesday per month.
Location: Enter the hospital through the main entrance and follow signs to Outpatients B which is on the first floor.
Please report to Reception and you will be asked to take a seat in the waiting room. Your Orthotist will call you in when it is your appointment time.
Orthotics departments have clinical staff called Orthotists, who are registered healthcare professionals. They specialise in the assessment of the whole body for biomechanical problems and if appropriate may prescribe, measure, fit, or review, an Orthosis.
An Orthosis is an externally applied device worn on the body. It may also be called a ‘brace’, or ‘splint’. Therapeutic footwear may also be used as an Orthosis.
The purpose and design of an Orthosis may change over time along with the changing needs and goals of the patient.
In our Orthotic department, we also have Orthotic clinical assistants who specialise in measuring/fitting and supplying hernia supports and specialist compression garments.
The videos below give an overview of what Prosthetics, Orthotists and Clinical Assistants do.
Different types of Orthotic Devices
Please see photographs below displaying different types of Orthotic devices that you may be prescribed by your Orthotist.
Orthotist showing a patient thier x-ray imageOrthotist fitting an Ankle Foot Orthosis to a patientDifferent types of Ankle foot Orthosis or drop foot splintAnkle Foot Orthosis with patients own shoePrescription FootwearInsolesOrthotist showing a patient an insolewrist and hand orthosisKnee Orthosis
How we measure you for an Orthotic Device
Orthotic measuring equipmentOrthotist scanning a patient for insolesOrthotist scanning a patient for footwear
Orthotics Symbol
You will see this Orthotics symbol on all our patient information and on signs leading to and on arrival at our departments.
This symbol was developed along with our patients to help to identify our department and allow patients to find their way to us more easily.
What the Orthotic Service can do for patients
In February 2024, we had an opportunity to present a patient story to the board which highlights the work of the Orthotics Service within NHSGGC.
Firstly, we hear from Nikki Munro, Clinical Lead and Service Manager who explains the role and remit of the Adult Orthotic Service. Following on from Nikki, we hear from Laura who is an Advanced Specialist Orthotist and the MSK Team Lead for Orthotics. We then meet Frances who had an accident at work which resulted in difficulties with walking.
This video demonstrates how the Orthotic Team and Frances worked together to help her achieve her goals including dancing.
The Orthotics service is made up of 16 Orthotists, 3 clinical assistants, 8 administrative staff and 2 technicians. Our administrative and technical staff work at our hub which is Gartnavel General Hospital. We have a small manufacturing lab on site at Gartnavel.
Our clinical team work across 8 acute hospital sites in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We deliver service in Acute only, we have no community service. We see both Inpatients and Outpatients.
How do you refer to Orthotics?
Outpatient referrals:
Healthcare Professionals with access to Trakcare
Optional 1- Create a Referral Letter and send to:
Orthotic Department, Lower Ground Floor, Gartnavel General Hospital
Option 2 – Send an Internal Referral- click link below
Use the others workbench Choose the ‘other’ tab Search for ‘Orthotics Inpatient Referral’
What should be included in Inpatient referrals?
Relevant detail to allow us to bring an appropriate device with us to the ward if possible. E.g clothing size, shoe size, left or right. Accurate location of problem.
If ulcers: location, shoe size, left or right.
If traumatic fractures: what level, stable/unstable. Build of patient.
Monday to Friday 8.00am – 8.00pm and on a Saturday 9.00am – 1.00pm excluding Public holidays
If you don’t live in the catchment area of NHSGGC make sure you tell RMC you are a staff member or they will advise you to go to your home health board for treatment.
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