This region covers the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland; Belfast, South Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern.
The region has a paediatric Neurodisability network, and within this, a physiotherapy working group with two representatives from each of the Trusts. This working group meets approximately twice per year.
CPIP training is regularly carried out by Tina Weston and Brona McDowell, and competencies are tested and recorded annually. Representatives then take responsibility for carrying out training in their own region. To date, the majority of paediatric physiotherapists who work with children with CP in Northern Ireland have been CPIP trained. Further training on reading hip x-rays and measuring the hip migration index has also been provided.
Other workshops have covered the assessment of foot deformities in children with CP particularly in the presence of significant subtalar instability and foot break, and exercise and strength training in young people with Cerebral Palsy.
Each region continues to use CPIP assessments with their patients, building up the number of children and providing orthopaedic consultants with their assessment at the child’s orthopaedic review clinic were possible, thus promoting CPIPNI.
Our orthopaedic consultant, Elaine Robinson, is currently seeking funding for the CPIP Patient Management System and has been liaising with the software designers in anticipation of implementing the system in Northern Ireland.
CPIP-Northern Ireland Physiotherapy Representative: Tina Weston or Brona McDowell (Belfast Heath and Social Care Trust)
Contact: tina.weston@belfasttrust.hscni.net or brona.mcdowell@belfasttrust.hscni.net