Physio assistant scoops prize for implementing clinical guidelines

She was voted winner by delegates from a range of health professions at the 14^th annual Guidelines International Network conference in Manchester in September.

They were impressed by her presentation about the Osteoarthritis Self-Management and Independent Living Support Group, known as Oasis.

Since 2016, Ms Busby has been offering the Oasis sessions for patients at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital in Lichfield, Staffordshire. She shares the responsibility with Charlotte Grey, a physiotherapy assistant.

The sessions are available one hour each week over six weeks. Between six and 10 people attend each class.

Ms Busby explained that the sessions were developed following an internal audit showing the benefits of group exercise classes and by incorporating NICE guidelines on the care and management of osteoarthritis.

‘In my presentation, I talked about our journey to date, including implementing the NICE guidelines into our classes, and ensuring that we maintain a high quality service that offers personalised care,’ said Ms Busby.

‘I also covered the barriers that we faced, plus solutions. One of the barriers was about patient buy-in, and we addressed this by varying the times and location of classes to make it as easy as possible for people to attend.’

She said the success of Oasis was the result of ‘a real team effort’, adding that there had been no additional funding or time for the project. ‘We developed the classes using our CPD time,’ she said.

Other services have already approached the hospital seeking to share the Oasis project. Any member who would like to learn more can contact Ms Busby by emailing emma.busby@mpft.nhs.uk.