February 17^th 2015:

CPD: Starting a domain and blog. What is the purpose?

Two main reasons I think? I’ve got knowledge, useful information and things to say (to anyone who will listen) and secondly how get people seek help for healthcare concerns and to then choose physiotherapy and ideally me!!

I have been considering ways of promoting physiotherapy to aid referrals as the ebb and flow of referrals has been ever changing. Reasons??, Well for one RTA insurance claims and those go-between companies who were set up I suppose to aid the injured whiplash suffer hastily through to treatment were for a long time keen to do just that it seemed and still make a buck themselves.

Something changed somewhere in the journey from insurer, solicitor to go-betweeners :I assume the cash was the issue someone was making less, was less interested: I am sure you know how it goes. But the calls started coming through to us “can you see our patients for less!!, can you see them sooner, can you complete the treatment faster”. There will always be some who will do just that- do it for less and jump the hoops.

The issue here is quality costs if I have spent the last 30 years honing my skills, studying & attending courses – it cost this (x) AND it will take what it takes to get the client right both in terms of how many sessions and over the right period of time. People are not widgets – they are complex physical & emotional beings – and each so different. Unfortunately a lot of the “whiplash” type work has gone out into the private sector for so many reasons. Are the insurers, solicitors and go-betweeners all cutting their profit margins? I do not stretch out treatments, give unnecessary treatments or over charge.

Other reasons for drops and rises in referral – certainly people have been watching their cash (except for essentials like nails and hair!!) other health insurers have altered their excesses and accesses and filtered which therapists are on their “lists”.

Anyway, it seems people like the try before you buy idea – the blog and website lets people make a judgement about “YOU” and “the service” you offer. An offering of advice and information can be very powerful. I have been on the buying side for years for holidays and products without realising it isn’t just the price. The aesthetics the “feel” you get from seeing & using the website before even dealing with a real person is something I have not considered or appreciated.

So, how much more so when our health is concerned!

So, I have started the process of learning how to set up a domain and then blog. Why blog (incidentally I dislike the term enormously )well, there is getting less for me to learn that actually make a difference to the day to day work – the techniques anyway, knowledge always changes and is endlessly fascinating and sometimes can be used in my daily work.

The biggy for me is the language of healthcare to aid/promote healing – the belief in healing possibility. We have all heard stories of medical words that do nothing but frighten patients or the disinterested throw away comments as the healthcare giver breezes out of the room/cubicle. I am going to BANG on and on about language in my “info-blogs” when I finally understand how to do blog properly.

Bear with me – please. My intentions are pure and heart felt: my English and language well, I aim to get better. I can see learning how to use the “net” and to “blog” will take some time but I am convinced it will be useful – I hope YOU go to dear reader.

Like the ideas you like, discard the things that make no sense or you don’t like.

I may open up some new thought or make you look further. Whether you seek me out or seek others help is all that is important. There may well be help out there – so don’t give up. It may be the therapist not the therapy.

Also, if it sounds like bunkum or too good – just maybe it is.

Alan Leigh MCSP, MSc, HCPC