Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders has backed the calls of a national charity to urgently boost access to physiotherapy in Cheshire, to help constituents missing out on vital care, and suffering through this dangerous lack of access.

At Parliament Justin Madders met constituent Jeanette Dodd, who has muscular dystrophy, and joined fellow MPs and Peers to launch Muscular Dystrophy UK’s hard-hitting report, Overstretched. The report highlights a massive black hole in physiotherapy access across the country for the estimated 70,000 people with muscle-wasting conditions.

For people with such conditions, physiotherapy can reduce pain and discomfort, while minimising the development of deformities. In some cases it can keep patients walking for longer. Access to a respiratory physiotherapist also allows for vital cough assist equipment to be used, which can reduce the risk of chest infections and can even avoid lives being tragically cut short.

Justin Madders MP, along with Muscular Dystrophy UK is calling for:

• Hospitals and NHS commissioners to act on NHS England’s guidelines to ensure a specialist physiotherapist is available locally for people with muscle-wasting conditions.
• Trusts to work to ensure that patients with muscle-wasting conditions can have access to physiotherapy when they need it, at a clinically appropriate time to allow them maximum benefit.
• Trusts to work to increase provision of community physiotherapy.

Justin said:

“It was deeply concerning to hear from Jeanette and other people with muscle-wasting conditions in Parliament about the difficulties they are facing in accessing physiotherapy. They are desperately in need of better access to ongoing physiotherapy that could make all the difference to their health.”