The aim of physiotherapy is to help a person develop, maintain, restore or optimise their physical functioning and therefore their wellbeing and quality of life.
Physiotherapists are specialised registered health practitioners who assess, diagnose and manage human function, most often with people compromised by ageing, injury, disease or environmental factors.
Description
Waikato DHB’s three physiotherapy teams are:
Community and Rural team
Our Vision: Caring for Life – Caring for you
The rural and community services team covers a large geographical area and provides physiotherapy services to six rural hospitals and eight community bases.
Thames, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa and Taumarunui hospitals provide physiotherapy to inpatients and outpatients and the community. The physiotherapists in these teams provide a variety of interventions for their patients predominantly the areas covered are: orthopaedic and neurological rehabilitation, medical respiratory, surgical, women’s health and musculoskeletal outpatients.
Community physiotherapists are also based in the following areas: Raglan; Ngaruawahia; Morrinsville; Matamata; Te Awamutu; Cambridge; Putaruru; Hamilton. The community service delivers rehabilitation in the home for a range of conditions predominantly mobility, neuro-rehab and post-surgical.
Older Persons and Rehabilitation team
This team offers inpatient and outpatient services.
Inpatient services
- General rehabilitation ward - Rehabilitation for patients following admission to any of our acute wards.
- Comprehensive stroke ward - Covers rehabilitation of stroke patients from admission to acute ward until discharge from rehabilitation ward.
- Orthopaedic geriatric ward - Rehabilitation of orthopaedic patients following their stay on our acute wards.
Outpatient services
- Older Person and Rehabilitation Outpatients
(based on campus at Waikato Hospital).- START: Early discharge community based service
Acute Physiotherapy team (based at Waikato Hospital)
The Acute team provides physiotherapy in the acute areas of Waikato Hospital.
The team provides physiotherapy services to both inpatients and outpatients.
Inpatient
- Burns and plastics
- Medical respiratory
- Acute rehabilitation
- Surgical
- Orthopaedics
- Paediatrics
- Women’s Health
- Neurosurgery
- Cardiac and vascular
- Intensive care and high dependency unit
Outpatient
- Musculoskeletal
- Women’s health
- Respiratory
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Lymphoedema management
- Child Development Centre
- Hand Injury Management Unit
We also provide gym and hydrotherapy rehabilitation programmes to inpatients and outpatients.
Key personnel
Clinical leaders
Bridie McNeil
Manager - Physiotherapy Rural & Community
Laura Bate
Manager - Physiotherapy OPR/CDC
Sian BeattieRoger Cvitanich
Manager - Physiotherapy Acute
Locations
Waikato DHB’s physiotherapists work in community and hospital settings across the district. They work closely with doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
- Waikato Hospital
Pembroke Street
Hamilton- Services provided on all wards
- Gym, hydro pool and service base Level B1, Waiora Waikato Centre
- Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building
Gate 3 Pembroke Street
Hamilton- Services provided on all wards
- Rehabilitation clinic and other outpatient services
- Physiotherapy teams are also located at Thames Hospital, Tokoroa Hospital, Te Kuiti Hospital and Taumarunui Hospital and provide hospital and outpatient services. Continuing Care facilities at Morrinsville (Rhoda Read) and Te Awamutu (Matariki) also provide inpatient physiotherapy care to patients.
- Physiotherapy services work from community bases in Raglan, Ngaruawahia, Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Putaruru, and Hamilton, as part of Family Health teams.
Contact information
Waikato Hospital Operator: (07) 839 8899 for all services and departments.
Clinics - use the contact details on your letter or appointment card.
Referral information
Referrals are received via the Referral Co-ordination Centre from GPs, and other health professionals within the DHBs.