Most patients who accessed a new AI-powered physiotherapy rated their experience as being ‘equivalent or better’ than receiving traditional face-to-face physiotherapy. 

Flok Health, which provides same-day appointments for back pain via a smartphone app, said an initiative launched in Cambridgeshire earlier this year had more than halved waiting lists for back pain in its first large-scale deployment in England.

Eight patients in 10 (80 per cent) living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were able to access Flok over a 12-week period from the beginning of February to the end of May.

Nearly eight in 10 (78 per cent) of them described their overall experience with Flok as being ‘good’ or ‘very good’, exceeding patient satisfaction targets set at the project’s outset. A similar proportion of patients (80 per cent) rated their experience as being ‘equivalent or better’ than receiving traditional face-to-face physiotherapy. 

‘No waiting lists’ with Flock option

The pioneering clinic is the first digital MSK service to have won Care Quality Commission approval, in addition to achieving medical device certification under the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s regulations. 

Created using video footage of a human physiotherapist, the pioneering digital clinic offers NHS patients personalised treatment for back pain at population scale. There is no waiting list, and the setting is said to mirror the feeling of being on a video call with a physiotherapist.

The technology was deployed to patients in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) NHS Trust. The trust was the first NHS organisation in England to make Flok’s AI clinic available to patients in a range of community healthcare settings, including those who self-referred and were clinician-referred. 

The initiative was part of a pilot deployment commissioned by CCS in partnership with the GIRFT Further Faster Programme: an initiative bringing together NHS clinicians and operational teams to improve access and waiting times for patients.

When the AI clinic first went live in Cambridgeshire, waiting times for elective community musculoskeletal (MSK) services in the region stood at 18 weeks. Over the 12 week initiative, the availability of the Flok option – in combination with initiatives such as MSK ‘superclinics’ and community assessment days – reduced waiting times for all MSK conditions across CCS by 44 per cent to fewer than 10 weeks. 

‘Freeing up’ clinicians

Flok’s AI clinic alone – said to be the only intervention deployed specifically to treat back pain – reduced waiting lists for back pain by 55 per cent, while saving a total of 856 hours of clinician time per month in the trust. 

Mike Passfield, CCS deputy director, described Flok’s impact as ‘extraordinary’ and said it had ‘freed up’ clinicians to focus on other patients with complex MSK conditions.  

‘What matters most to us is making sure patients get the right care quickly and safely and this pilot has shown that innovation like Flok can truly transform how we deliver services.

‘This pilot has demonstrated how innovation, when safely and thoughtfully integrated into NHS pathways, can dramatically improve access, outcomes and patient experience.’

Mike added: ‘We look forward to working with Flok to explore how this service can be scaled across our region to benefit even more people.’
‘Our AI clinic enables patients to access world-class MSK care immediately, whilst freeing up traditional clinical capacity for patients who want or need to see a clinician in person‘ [Finn Stevenson, Flok Health]

Relieving pressure on ‘existing pathways’

Of the 2,500 patients treated via the AI pathway, less than two per cent requested or required referral to a traditional face-to-face service. That means more than 98 per cent were triaged, treated and discharged via the digital service, relieving pressure on existing pathways and enabling clinicians to see patients who wanted or needed face-to-face appointments faster and for longer.

Finn Stevenson, Flok Health’s co-founder and chief executive, said: ‘Our AI clinic enables patients to access world-class MSK care immediately, whilst freeing up traditional clinical capacity for patients who want or need to see a clinician in person.’

Finn added: ‘We look forward to continuing to work closely with our innovative NHS partners to deliver gold-standard, scalable MSK care to patients in Cambridgeshire and across the UK.’  

Patients‘ glowing testimonies

Sharon McMahon, a primary school teacher from Hardwick, comments: ‘My back pain became unbearable after a long drive. The pain was so severe that I couldn’t move the next day, and it left me unable to work for a fortnight. 

‘An NHS physio suggested I try Flok. I was initially disappointed not to be receiving face-to-face care. I’m not disappointed now. The AI clinic has delivered exactly the same results as I’d expect from a traditional physio – and much more quickly.

‘I started my treatment the same day, and was able to get appointments and complete exercises whenever I liked. My back was back to normal after a couple of weeks, but I’m still using the app twice a week to manage pain when I get flare ups or spasms.

Sharon added: ‘If it wasn’t for Flok, I might still be waiting for an in-person appointment, or be paying to see someone privately. I’d recommend the app to anyone.’

Anna-Marie Cooper, a keen runner from Cambridgeshire, said she had struggled with intermittent bouts of back pain for many years, but had a flare up last October last year.

‘When I found out I’d been referred to the AI physio I was a bit sceptical, but from the very beginning I was surprised by just how smooth and easy to use the app was. Flok’s service was so intuitive, and having the flexibility to schedule and rearrange appointments whenever I wanted really suited me.’

Anna-Marie added: ‘I have used private physiotherapy services in the past, but I found my experience with the AI physio as good as, if not better than any care I’ve received before. If it wasn’t for Flok, I might’ve been forced to pay for treatment again.’ 

To access more information about Flok Health, see: www.flok.health 

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