Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on providing physiotherapy to patients who have had hip replacement operations.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE ) recommends that people with hip fractures are offered a physiotherapist assessment the day after surgery and exercises to promote movement, strength and recovery at least once a day, unless there are medical or surgical reasons for this not to occur. The relevant guidance can be found at the following address:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs16/chapter/quality-statement-9-physiotherapy-and-mobilisation

NICE clinical guidelines are advisory. Health care and other professionals in the National Health Service are, however, expected to take account of them when exercising their professional judgement.

There is no specific guidance on the timing and amount of physiotherapy in relationship to hip replacement. This is a matter of clinical judgement and for each unit, with the input of physiotherapists, to devise a preoperative education and postoperative rehabilitation plan suitable for individual patients.