It is common for members to offer Pilates and/or yoga as standalone services, and these are covered by the CSP PLI scheme when used as part of physiotherapy practice.
Many physiotherapists use Pilates or yoga as part of a rehabilitation programme. If you choose to focus your physiotherapy services primarily on Pilates or yoga, you must clearly state that you are working in your capacity as a physiotherapist and you are expected to maintain the professional standards of physiotherapy practice, which include:
- Conducting appropriate assessments
- Applying clinical reasoning
- Using evidence-based professional judgment
You could call yourself a ‘physiotherapist Pilates/yoga instructor’. You don’t have to have the word physiotherapist in your job title, but your clients must clearly understand that they will be engaging with a physiotherapist and that they can therefore expect the reasonable standard of care.
It is essential that you work out for yourself if you are delivering your Pilates/yoga activities as part of physiotherapy practice or something else. When Pilates/yoga is delivered as part of physiotherapy practice, it is covered by the terms and conditions of the CSP PLI scheme, and you do not need additional insurance.
If you are working solely as a Pilates or yoga instructor, and you clearly present yourself as such, then you are not practising as a physiotherapist. You should seek separate guidance and insurance appropriate for Pilates/yoga instructors.
Can I only offer Pilates/yoga to patients recovering from injury?
No. You can offer Pilates/yoga as an exercise-based intervention in whatever context you feel it has a physiotherapeutic benefit. Here are some examples:
- You may wish to offer Pilates/yoga classes to patients recovering from injury or requiring other types of rehabilitation and offer the classes in private practice rooms or as part of your private practice that might be situated within a gym etc. You may wish to offer the one-to-one classes or group sessions.
- You may offer Pilates/yoga classes to individuals or groups who are generally fit and healthy, but who wish to get more active or fit and address silent health issues such as obesity or a sedentary lifestyle.
- You may offer antenatal and postnatal Pilates/yoga classes to women as part of the management of a healthy pregnancy and early motherhood.
- Pilates/yoga may be offered to either the fit and healthy (including pregnant and postnatal women) as part of the public health initiative to increase exercise for its positive health benefits OR to those with known or underlying illness/disease or injury considerations, such that both are seen as being equally within the scope of the profession.
Can I provide Pilates/yoga classes online?
Yes. If you are providing online classes to people who are physically based outside the UK, some countries require separate physiotherapist registration for this activity. Please see our webpage on digital, print, virtual and tele physiotherapy.
Am I a delivering a Pilates/yoga class as an instructor or a physiotherapist?
Only you can decide in what capacity you are working – and you may choose to do both at different times. However, it’s important to understand that how you practise affects the type of insurance you need.
If you are leading classes in your role as a physiotherapist, you must:
- Deliver the reasonable standard of care required of physiotherapy practice.
- Carry out appropriate assessment, clinical reasoning, and professional judgment.
- Keep records that reflect your role, decision-making and setting. For healthy clients in general fitness classes, a client-completed health screening form may be helpful. Keeping a class register with space for comments can also help document your work.
What are the PLI implications if I offer both physiotherapy and non-physiotherapy?
The small print contained within insurance policies often states that cover under one policy will not be provided if cover is provided elsewhere e.g. by another policy you hold at the same time.
It is your responsibility to read and understand the terms and conditions of any insurance policy you hold before you take out any extra policy. It is also your responsibility to be clear which parts of your work are physiotherapy based, and which are not. We provide help for you to do this on our scope of practice pages.
The CSP PLI scheme may not provide cover for any claim if you have taken out another policy for the same activities. This could happen if you take out another insurance to cover ‘Pilates/yoga’. Remember, if you are providing Pilates/yoga programmes as part of physiotherapy practice, you do not need extra insurance.
For example, members have told us that some bespoke Pilates/yoga insurance policies only cover Pilates/yoga classes providing that no physiotherapy advice or treatment is given as part of the class.
I’ve been told by my Pilates/yoga course provider that I need separate insurance to offer Pilates/yoga as a physiotherapist. Is this true?
No. When you are offering Pilates/yoga programmes as part of physiotherapy practice, it is covered by the terms of the CSP PLI scheme. Your course provider may have learners who are not CSP members, or who are not physiotherapists, and it is correct to say that individuals should have insurance to practice, but as a CSP member you already have the benefit of insurance, subject to policy terms and conditions.