The NHS Long Term Plan and pelvic health rehabilitation

Year published: 2019

This briefing highlights the commitments in the Long Term Plan for pelvic floor muscle  rehabilitation.

Key messages from the CSP and POGP on local implementation

  • To best deliver for women, pelvic health clinics need to be properly resourced and set up, with active involvement of pelvic health physiotherapists in their design
  • Physiotherapists, who have experience and specialised in treating women with pelvic floor disorders, must have a strong presence within multidisciplinary pelvic health clinics, to offer expert pelvic assessment and rehabilitation to re-educate  pelvic floor muscles and restore function
  • Physiotherapy roles will be critical for sharing knowledge and skills to other healthcare professionals, improving the exercise advice on strengthening pelvic floor muscles for all women and providing a patient pathway for treatment of any dysfunction
  • While childbirth is a major cause of pelvic floor dysfunction, it can also be common following gynaecological surgery and during and after the menopause. The development of pelvic health clinics is an opportunity to improve the care for women of all ages with pelvic health issues, and to ensure that all women should be referred for pelvic floor re-education before consideration of surgical options. 

We will improve access to postnatal physiotherapy to support women who need it to recover from birth. 

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