Writer Tim Atkinson is one three speakers who will offer a patient’s perspective on health consultations at this year’s Physiotherapy Pain Association (PPA) study day.
Full-priced tickets for the event – titled The heart of pain care: complexity, reflection and connection and scheduled to take place on 26 September – cost £100. Students and members of the PPA professional network and the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists can obtain discounts to the event, which runs from 9am-4pm at the Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust’s education centre.
Tim, who is a PPA patient representative, has written two novels titled Writing Therapy and The Glorious Dead as well as several works of non-fiction. His memoir, titled Where Does It Hurt? – about living with chronic pain – was published in 2021. He is the vice-chairman of the Patient Voice Committee of the British Pain Society and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
The other two patient speakers at the PPA event are Libby Eastman and Risa Darcy.
The event kicks off with a presentation by Cassandra Macgregor, a PhD candidate at Glasgow Caledonian University and a pain specialist physiotherapist with NHS Lanarkshire. Her talk is titled Coming to terms with long-term pain: using ‘ecosystems’ as a conceptual framework.
‘With insights from people with lived experience and a strong emphasis on practical application, this is a day to refresh your perspective, connect with colleagues, and build your confidence to approach pain care’ [PPA]
Delegates at the morning session will also hear from Chris Mercer, a consultant physiotherapist at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. His presentation, titled Redwood for the trees: staying vigilant for serious pathology, is followed by an appetising-sounding one run before a break by consultant physiotherapist Jen Ford and clinical psychologist Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert from the Bath Centre for Pain Services. Their talk is titled Supervision: navigating our own distress as clinicians.
Mentoring opportunities
After a lunch break, delegates can opt to ‘Meet your next mentor or mentee’ in the following three areas of interest
- clinical
- public and patient involvement
- research
The PPA’s annual general meeting starts at 15.30, after a session devoted to peer support and reflection.
The event brings together clinical expertise, lived experience, and current practice developments to examine key areas such as
- navigating clinical complexity and diagnostic uncertainty
- clinical work in the presence of distress
- the value of building supportive and reflective spaces to shape our physiotherapy community
The PPA website says the event is designed for physiotherapists ‘navigating the challenges of working with people experiencing pain in any area of practice’. The study day aims to offer fresh insights and space for small-group meaningful conversations.
‘With insights from people with lived experience and a strong emphasis on practical application, this is a day to refresh your perspective, connect with colleagues, and build your confidence to approach pain care,’ the PPA adds.
To find out more about Tim Atkinson, see: https://www.timatkinson.uk/
To find out more about the PPA, see: https://ppa.csp.org.uk/
Image: Shutterstock
