ABSTRACT
How much does a therapist really knows about the population his/her service covers? The authors have found that the level of awareness varies enormously from site to site. It is known that the demand for healthcare provision differs throughout the country and also within individual regions. With regard to physiotherapy, the recently reported national trial of patient self-referral identified that there are differences in the average number of referrals to be expected in locations which differ in terms of their geography and, to some extent, their level of deprivation. It has also been identified that, in some settings, the demand for physiotherapy was directly linked to an increased older population, an issue that will be just as appropriate to other healthcare service providers. A good starting point is to track down and collate this information. It should be relatively easy to do but if the therapist is experiencing difficulties, strategic health boards or regions can often provide this information.
