Excellence in community rehabilitation
Providing nursing and therapies flexibly to suit each individual patient is key to Birmingham Community Healthcare's approach to realising the vision of a neighbourhood-based health service.
At the heart of that approach is building person-centred clinical services that empower patients to reap the personal benefits of a national drive to shift care delivery from hospital to home whenever possible.
Key to the success of that approach is empowering people with the knowledge, confidence and equipment to take personal responsibility for their own wellbeing - preventing illness and empowering patients to support and maintain their own health.
It is fitting that BCHC's reigning clinical team of the year is among those that best exemplify that community-focussed ethos and ambition.
Our south therapy hub team provides bespoke rehabilitation programmes of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in the homes of adult patients. In our 2025 VIP Awards, the team was recognised for their positivity and innovative spirit as they navigated significant change to the care system.
One case study highlighted the story of how a programme of physiotherapy and occupational therapy enabled a patient who had been bedbound for over a year to regain full mobility.
As well as physios and OTs, the team is made up of rehabilitation technicians and rehabilitation assistants, with a supporting admin team smoothly handling referrals and appointments. Team numbers are often boosted by students, who benefit from the insight into community-based care as part of their training.
The team currently (Feb 2026) provides physiotherapy to 160 patients and occupational therapy to 113. In a typical month, more than 200 new patient visits may be carried out by occupational therapists or physiotherapists. Follow-up visits to patients already on the caseload might typically amount to around 500 across all team members, with more than 600 non-face-to-face activities such as ordering of equipment carried out in support of their care.
Referrals are accepted from other healthcare professionals - predominantly GPs and BCHC's district nursing teams - and a new rehabilitation programme will begin with a thorough assessment to inform a plan agreed jointly with patients, carers and family members, meeting realistic goals within a set timeframe.
The south therapy team is one of four locality teams making up the citywide community therapy service. Flexibility is key - physios and OTs may work alone or together; and may have to liaise with care agency partners, families and staff in care homes to meet residents' needs.
Recently, the community therapy service has been handling increased demand to support patients with a higher degree of need, with more amputee and prosthetic patients referred from specialist rehabilitation teams. The service also works closely with BCHC's learning disability services division, ensuring they meet that patient cohort's needs responsively.
The mutually supportive environment is underpinned by a 'buddying' scheme, with team leaders mindful of some of the challenges of remote and mobile working,
Clinical team leader Sachin Kakkad said: “As a team, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for every patient because the impact that our therapists can have on a person's quality of life is huge.
"Everyone is fully committed to that core aim of empowering and supporting patients to live to their full potential in their own homes and avoid hospital admissions wherever we can.
“We were very proud of our work even before being voted clinical team of the year but there's no doubt that was a big boost to morale and we were very grateful to be nominated and chosen.
“We're excited to see what more we can achieve together!”
Therapy hubs clinical service manager Sarah Moore said: “We have four community therapy teams covering Birmingham and a flexible, caring, person-centred approach is at the heart of what they all do.
“Providing therapies in peoples' homes is important to rehabilitation because the whole approach can be more easily personalised to individual needs and lifestyles than when they are in a hospital.
“No two cases are the same and we pride ourselves on the built-in, multidisciplinary flexibility of our care model and the support it can give people to live as independently as possible.”
Winners! BCHC's clinical team of year pictured at the VIP Awards presentation night.