Services A to Z

The NHSGGC MSK Physiotherapy Service will deliver a comprehensive, accessible, quality service responsive to the needs of the public it serves and fit for the 21st century. It will ensure the delivery of this service is of clinical and educational excellence encompassing at its very heart a patient focused model of care. The service will be consistent, equitable, safe and efficient and provide the highest standard of care for adult patients with a musculoskeletal condition.​

Our mission is to provide a high quality musculoskeletal physiotherapy service that is effective, person centred, safe, timely, efficient and equitable.  We aim to create a dynamic and innovative culture where all staff are valued and supported to work in partnership with patients, providing a service to be proud of.

We also have strong links working alongside:

Learning and development comes in many forms. We offer an excellent range of learning and development opportunities that focus on fulfilling your potential and ambition, guided by the National Education of Scotland’s 4 pillars of Practice.​

As well as the learning and development opportunities for all our MSK clinicians, we offer a dedicated B5 training pack including:

• B5 MSK Induction & Support Pack
• B5 MSK Learning & Development Pack
• Peer coaching with other B5 MSK staff
• Incremental training for B5 MSK staff
• Local support & development from B6/7 staff

We also support new Graduates on the Flying Start Programme 

Our MSK service is split into 4 geographical areas:

• Clyde (Inverclyde and Renfrewshire)
• East (East Dunbartonshire and North East Glasgow City)
• South (South Glasgow City and East Renfrewshire)
• West (North West Glasgow City and West Dunbartonshire)

We provide assessment and treatment in both acute and primary care sites: our locations.

Using a different position will allow your breathing muscles to work better and help you to feel less short of breath. You might find one position works best for you. Feelings of panic will often make your breathlessness worse so trying to relax in your preferred position will also help. Lying on your front (prone lying) can help reduce breathlessness if you are recovering from coronavirus (COVID-19). Adding pillows under your chest or pelvis may make this position more comfortable. Only use this position if you feel comfortable and it helps your breathing.

Sit in a relaxed position in a chair with your back well supported. Place one hand on your tummy. Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose. As you breathe in, allow your tummy to rise up and then feel it relax down as you breathe out slowly. This may take some practice but can be very useful to help reduce breathlessness.

Breathlessness can be a scary experience, especially if you have not experienced it before. It often causes people to feel anxious leading to a panic attack. Anxiety and panic themselves can lead to more breathlessness creating a vicious cycle. The breathing techniques above can help to reduce the feeling of breathlessness and so lower anxiety levels.

This can be useful to control breathlessness when you are walking or being more active. Take a breath in through your nose then gently breathe out through your mouth with your lips pursed, just like are whistling or blowing out a candle. Try to breathe out for longer than you breathe in.

Breathe in before you start to move, then breathe out when you are making a big effort, such as bending down, lifting something heavy or going up stairs.

Hold a small hand held fan about 15 centimetres away from your face, aim to feel the air on the centre of your face above your lip, the cool air can help you feel less breathless. A desk or free standing fan can also be used. 

Here are some tips to help clear secretions in your chest that you find difficult to get rid of:

• Drink water regularly throughout the day.
• Limit the amount of tea and coffee you drink.
• If your mouth feels dry your airways are dry too so drink some water (Note: Some medical conditions mean you have to restrict fluid intake, if you think this applies to you discuss and check this with your GP)
• Avoid alcohol as it can make you dehydrated.
• Steam or humidity can also help loosen and clear secretions. A warm shower can often be useful.
• Moving around can be one of the best ways to clear secretions as activity makes you breathe deeper. This can help loosen and move secretions making it easier to clear. Remember that after illness you may find yourself more tired, breathless and low in energy even when just walking. So take your time and build up activity gradually and rest when you need to. You can find some simple activities and exercises to get you started on the physical activity pages.

Coughs can be caused by different of things like smoking, allergies, heartburn (acid reflux) or infections. Further information and guidance on managing a cough can be found from NHS Inform

Contact the North Team

Telephone: 0141 232 2239

Address: Kershaw Unit, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0XH

Contact the South and Clyde Team

• Telephone: 0141 211 6563
• Address: Admin Building, Leverndale Hospital, 510 Crookston Road, Glasgow, G53 7TU

What is Psychosis

You may be aware of feeling very stressed or worried lately, and you may have spoken to your GP or someone close to you about this. You might have noticed some unusual experiences or feelings which can often be frightening or make you worry more. You might have started having problems at home, with other people or when you leave the house.

When someone is under stress, it can affect them in many ways. Some people notice changes in their body, such as sleep pattern or their interest in food. People also notice changes in how they feel or think, and the things they do.

When people get very distressed or worried a whole range of unusual experiences can occur at the same time. Within mental health services, this is often referred to as psychosis.

This can be frightening or overwhelming for people; especially if it seems those around them do not understand what is happening.

Common Experiences of Psychosis

Changes in Thinking

Some people feel like their thoughts have been taken away, are speeded up or are being controlled by someone or something else. There can often be some strong or unusual beliefs, such as feeling that some powerful force is out to hurt you or everyday things become more significant and meaningful to you.

Changes in Emotion

You might start to feel low all the time, more angry than usual or notice that you have lost interest in the things you used to enjoy.

Changes in Senses

Some people notice strange smells or very bright colours. There can also be images or voices that no-one else can see or hear. The voices people hear can often be very critical or threatening towards you. They sometimes comment on the things you do or try to get you to act in particular ways.

Changes in Behaviour

People can often start avoiding other people or staying indoors more, usually as they feel this helps keep them safe. It can be difficult to keep track of things or concentrate on what you are doing at times. This can be particularly difficult if you are being distracted by the voices you hear. Read Rai Waddingham’s article about her lived experience with Psychosis.

How to be referred

You can be referred by: Your GP, Community mental health teams, Inpatient services, Primary care teams, Statutory and non statutory services or you can self refer with the agreement of your GP.

The team consists of medical staff, community nurses, occupational therapy, support workers and psychology.

Heads Up

Resources and Leaflets

In Esteem we work together with the young person and their family. We meet with families at the early stages in someone’s care to gather information and offer support. Where possible we involve families in care and treatment planning.

We offer regular information evenings for families and the allocated keyworker can provide one to one support.

Useful Links

• Read Stephanie’s account of working with the ESTEEM team – Stephanie Allan; Early Intervention in First Episode Psychosis: A Service User’s Experience, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Volume 43, Issue 2, 1 March 2017, Pages 234–235.

• Listen to Robert speak about his experience with psychosis.
• Read Andrew’s story

Referral Process

Telephone referral is preferable. You can contact the team and speak with a duty worker.

We also have further information for staff on our StaffNet page.

Here are some examples of how you can be more active at home:

Move Regularly

Sitting still for long periods of time is not good for our bodies. Move your arms and legs regularly to stop them becoming stiff and sore. Stand up and move at least once every hour to help with balance and circulation.

Basic Seated Exercises

If you are struggling or unable to stand you can try some seated exercises.

You can also follow this Physiotherapy-led seated exercise class:  

Basic Standing Exercises

If you are able to stand, why not try this exercise routine below:

More Exercises

• Dementia Friendly Standing Exercises for Strength and Balance – Magenta (pdf)
• Dementia Friendly Seated Exercises for Strength and Flexibility – Blue (pdf)
• Just Move – Physical Activity and Exercises Ideas for People Living with Dementia (pdf)

Work on Strength and Balance

Assess your strength and balance and work at a level that is appropriate for you using the tools on NHS Inform

• NHS Inform Strength and Balance Studio
• Strength Exercises Sheet
• Balance Exercises Sheet 

NHS Fitness Studio has a library of instructor-led home exercise classes including aerobic exercise, yoga and pilates.

Exercise Intensity

When you are recovering from illness you may find you are more breathless than normal. Remember to take breaks as you need them and gradually increase the number of times you do each exercise/activity as you feel able. There are some tips on coping with breathlessness <breathing easier section>

The Talk Test is a simple way to measure how hard you are exercising. In general, if you’re doing moderate intensity activity, you can talk but not sing during the activity.

When to Stop Exercising

You should stop exercising and rest if you experience any of the following:
• Chest pain
• Increase in chest tightness
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Much more breathless than you experienced the last time you did this exercise

If symptoms continue for more than 2-3 minutes, contact your GP.

After a period of illness or injury when you are starting to get back to normal life and would like to continue to improve your fitness there are a number of schemes available in the Glasgow and Clyde area.

Vitality Classes – Specially designed for people living with a range of medical conditions, and are ideal if you are finding that a lack of strength and/or poor balance is starting to impact on your daily life. 

Call: 0141 232 1860

Live Active Referral Scheme – Qualified Live Active Advisors will chat to you to discuss benefits and set activity goals that are suitable for you in relation to your medical conditions (if any) and taking into account the current Scottish Government guidelines around Coronavirus (Covid-19). 

Call: 0141 232 1860

Live Active Advisors are able to support you at a time and in a way that suits you best (e.g. phone call, texts, emails or video calls or face to face) depending on the latest Scottish Government guidelines. All Advisors follow the latest guidelines to ensure that the physical activity goals set are safe, effective and following the latest safety measures.  They are there on hand to help support, motivate and advise so that a regular physical activity routine is established. 

Call: 0141 232 1860

Ask your GP or Physiotherapist about a referral or follow the link above for more information.

If you are a health professional and never referred into Live Active before then please email liveactive@ggc.scot.nhs.uk to chat through the referral process and scheme in more detail.

Walking is a great way to increase your general fitness and help your mood. The websites below will give you information on how to get started and keep motivated.

NHS England Active 10 – Free Active 10 walking tracker app shows how much brisk walking you’re doing and helps you do more. 

Paths for all – Paths for All is a Scottish charity which aims to increase the number of people walking every day in Scotland to improve well-being and prevent ill health. See the website for free, gentle, volunteer led health walks that are available for everyone. Walks usually last up to 1 hour and there are over 75 walks taking place each week.

Call: 0141 232 1860 to discuss walking options near you. 

National guidelines are published by the Chief Medical Officers in the UK on the amount and type of physical activity people should be doing to improve their health.

Infographic Showing the Adult & Older Adult Physical Activity Guidelines for Health

Further guidance here for those with a disability, under 18’s and during pregnancy.

NHSGGC Neurorehabilitation Unit has videos of seated exercise classes suitable for those with a physical disability, all lead by NHS GG&C Physiotherapists

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy hosts a webpage for Patients & Public

NHS Exercise Site offers physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64.

NHS Inform Prevention Falls has information and advice on reducing the risk of falls at home

Later Life Training produce 3 daily ‘movement snacks’ (search Make Movement your Mission). Movement snacks are short sessions to integrate into your day. Videos are saved on their Youtube channel for you to access whenever you wish.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Active Wards Principles guide our Active Wards work

What happened to my legs when I broke my arm? case study

When you are very unwell in ICU, the nerves and muscles are also affected which can lead to something called ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW). You might have noticed that your thigh and arm muscles are smaller than they were before you went to ICU and you might still feel weak despite having been home for a while. This is a common problem. It occurs in up to half of the patients who stay in the ICU for at least one week. Some people find that it may take more than a year to fully recover from this weakness, which can make every day activities difficult. It is easy to get frustrated – many people feel ‘the mind is willing but the body won’t follow’.

Pacing is important. You wouldn’t take all your medication for the week in one day and the same is true for exercise. You must do little and often rather than doing everything in one day and then being too tired the rest of the week. The leaflet below has practical tips on pacing and how to conserve energy.

Pain is a common problem for many patients after ICU. It occurs in many areas of your body and has many different causes. These problems can improve over many months but it is important you discuss your pain with your GP. This is very important if pain is stopping you from building your muscles back up. Some people (but not all), feel the pain has gone away completely a year after leaving hospital.

Many people have little or no memory of their time in ICU and this is often due to something called Delirium, which occurs when you are very unwell and the brain can’t lay down memories as normal. This can lead to confusion, unusual thoughts, flashbacks and nightmares. These are common emotional responses after being in ICU. People can experience traumatic stress and it can take time to process this. These symptoms often improve over time and talking to other people can be useful. There are lots of other ways to find help and don’t forget, your GP is there to help you.

• Critical Care Recovery Website which includes information, advice and support on recovery after Intensive Care.
• ICU Steps Intensive Care Patient support charity provides information and advice for patients and families after ICU admission.

• NHSGGC Heads up for good mental health 
• South Glasgow Wellbeing Services
• Scottish Association for Mental Health 

• The Samaritans Call: 116 123 for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Breathing Space Call: 0800 83 85 87 for free Monday to Thursday 6.00pm to 2.00am and Friday 6.00pm to Monday 6.00am

The NHSGGC Support and Information Service is here to support people while they are in hospital and when they go home. They can support with a wide range of topics including health, lifestyle and well-being to money worries, accessing services including carers support and everything in between. You can find the kiosks on the ground floor in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Royal Hospital for Children, New Stobhill Hospital and the New Victoria Hospital

It’s important for your general well-being to have a good balance between rest and activity. Try and keep to a good routine including sleep, meals and enjoyable activities. Spending time in nature has been found to have a positive impact on our well-being and can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Everyone will have different levels of access to green spaces but there are many ways to connect with nature:

• Exercise or go for a walk outdoors if it is safe to do so.
• Try some light gardening or growing plants indoors.
• Spend time sitting in your garden or by an open window in your home, taking time to notice the sights and sounds around you.

See the Physical Activity Pages for more details.

During a period of illness it is common to sleep more as your body fights the infection. While you are recovering it is also common to find that your sleep patterns have been disturbed and you may struggle to get back into a good routine. Below are some hints which might help you get back into a better sleeping pattern.

Ensure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature and dark (blackout blinds can help).

• If you can’t get to sleep within half an hour of going to bed, get up and relax in another room until you feel tired again.
• Get ready for bed at the same time each night taking time to relax later in the evening.
• Avoid screen time from phones or laptops for at least two hours before bed.
• Try to get up at roughly the same time every day.
• If you like a drink before bed, avoid caffeinated drinks, for example tea or coffee.
• Try not to snack or eat a large meal later in the evening.
• If you have worries, set time aside during the day to write these down and discuss with family and friends if you feel able.
• If you are feeling very tired during the day and are struggling to stay awake, a 30 minute ‘power nap’ can be helpful and shouldn’t affect your sleep at night as long as it’s not too late in the day.
• A ‘sleep diary’ can sometimes help you to work out what helps and what doesn’t help when trying to get a good night’s sleep.

Try to eat a healthy diet – this means plenty of fruit and vegetables. Try to limit the amount of sugary and processed foods you eat. Soups and smoothies are a good substitute if you do not feel like eating solid foods. Smaller, healthy snacks throughout the day can be easier if you struggle with bigger meals. Try to drink water during the day.

Further advice can be found from our Dietician colleagues:

A useful tool we can use to combat feelings of anxiety is relaxation. This is something that we can do while sitting or lying down, listening to peaceful music or just in peace and quiet. Relaxation is helpful for our general well-being because it helps us to slow down the systems in the body and relieve any aches or tension we may have and calm any worrying thoughts. Some people find a specific form of relation called mindfulness useful.

Being unwell can have a significant impact on your mental health. Reach out to family and friends and speak with them on the phone if you are not able to see them face to face. If you feel you need more help with your mental health, advice is available.

If you need to talk to someone contact:

Your GP or call NHS 24 on 111

• The Samaritans Call: 116 123 for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Breathing Space Call: 0800 83 85 87 for free Monday to Thursday 6.00pm to 2.00am and Friday 6.00pm to Monday 6.00am

Further Information:

• NHSGGC Heads Up for Good Mental Health 
• South Glasgow Well-Being Services
• Glasgow Association for Mental Health 
• Scottish Association for Mental Health 
• LifeLink Glasgow Venues 
• NHS Inform Mental Wellbeing 
• RCOT Living with a Long Term Condition
• RCOT Living with Anxiety/Depression

There is no ‘one size fits all’ path to recovery and your return to work will depend on how you are feeling, the type of job you do and the level of flexibility offered by your employer.

It is important that you work jointly with your employer to manage your return to work. Some people will require a phased return to work following recovery from coronavirus where you gradually build up your hours and days at work.

Where available, take advice from your Occupational Health department.

If you are self-employed, it is important to try and pace yourself, especially if you are fatigued. Try not to return to work too quickly following your illness.

When you return to work, you may find yourself feeling more tired. This is normal and during this time it is important that you try and pace yourself both at work and at home. See the Fatigue Management Pages for more detail <insert link>

Further Information

ALISS

A local information system for Scotland.

This website can help you find information about foodbanks, money advice and homelessness support through local and national services.

Citizens Advice Scotland

Call: 0800 028 1456

There is a Citizens Advice Bureau in almost every community in Scotland. They offer free, confidential advice and information whoever you are and whatever your problem.

North East Team – nehit.admin@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

North West Team – northwest.hiadministrator@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

South Team – pollok.hiadmin@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

The Health Improvement Annual Report provides highlights on a range of work led on or delivered in partnership with Health Improvement.

2024 – 2025 Annual Report – Health Improvement annual report 2024-2025

Glasgow City HSCP’s Health Improvement staff deliver alongside the HSCP’s strategic plan focusing in particular on the strategic priority 1 around Prevention, Early Intervention and Harm Reduction.

Our Glasgow City HSCP Health Improvement Strategic Direction provides vision and direction for our work to improve health and reduce health inequalities.

Glasgow City HSCP Health Improvement Strategic Direction 2023 – 2028