“Over To You” A Physiotherapy partnership programme with Leisure services in Newry & Mourne District Council. Background The Over to You programme has been successfully running in the Newry & Mourne area of Northern Ireland for over 10 years now and it continues to thrive on the partnership working of Physiotherapy Services, Daisy Hill Hospital and the Leisure Services of Newry & Mourne District Council. The initial project was funded under the Big Lottery scheme. Aims of Over To You “To assist people at risk of developing chronic conditions and those with acute/recently acquired conditions to receive a timely comprehensive assessment of health and fitness status, to agree and achieve jointly agreed goals and targets, to promote and maintain their own health and well-being, not in the traditional settings of health, but in leisure facilities” The ethos is: “inactivity to pro-activity, disability to ability, poor self belief to positive thinking” The Team Advanced Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Fitness Instructor in some of the council locations. The programme is delivered in the community settings of the Newry & Mourne area of Co. Down & Armagh, Northern Ireland. Using the facilities in local Sports Centre’s, Swimming Pool and Community locations . Why do we need a Specialist Physiotherapist delivering this programme? Wide variety of complex medical conditions often with multiple pathologies. Eg. Head Injury with Diabetes and Epilepsy. Physiotherapy skills required to use a Bio-psychosocial approach with Motivational Interviewing required to maximise the potential for each patients specific condition. The skills to be able to modify and progress the individual OTY patients programme in response to their abilities. Tailored advice on how to progress self management at home or appropriateness of accessing local activities during and beyond the OTY programme. Patients progress are assessed through disease specific outcome measures that allow evaluation of their condition during the OTY programme Eg. ODI, HADS, Euroqol, Oxford shoulder score, FIM, PSEQ. This demonstrates more meaningful change in Patients outcomes. Listen to the Patients Experience William attended the OTY programme following heart surgery. “The OTY scheme was provided in a safe environment allowing me to begin exercising again and the support I received from the Physiotherapist and Gym Instructor allowed me to exercise safely within my own limitations. After completing the eight week programme, I became a member of Newry Sports Centre and I now attend regularly to maintain my own health and fitness. "It makes you feel normal again and the programme got me back doing the things I used to do before the heart surgery. Brendan is 75 he underwent major surgery in 2011 which resulted in an extended hospital stay of nine weeks. On returning home he described himself as “very poorly and used a stick to walk having previously being independent” “Without Over To You I seriously doubt whether or not I would have even started to keep fit”. He made “great progress back to being Independent and continues to do something for himself every day”. He also found that exercise was also a very positive mental experience. For additional information please contact: Sinead Brackenbury Advanced Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Southern Health & Social Care Trust Physiotherapy Department Daisy Hill Hospital 5 Hospital Road Newry Co Down sinead .brackenbury@southerntrust.hscni.net [