A CRUCIAL change simplifying the way patients receive physiotherapy, podiatry and joint and muscle treatment across Wirral.

A new Musculoskeletal Integrated Triage Service will launch on July 2 in community and hospital care settings.

It means patients will be directly referred by their GPs to the service, and the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it will mean avoiding multiple visits to the GP.

It’s been introduced to create a simpler, less stressful system for patients needing musculoskeletal treatment – joint, muscle and rheumatics – and will mean faster assessment and treatment.

Dr Paula Cowan, medical director at NHS Wirral CCG, said: “In bringing these services together, we want to give patients easier access to a range of experts who will work together to ensure you receive the most appropriate treatment.

"A single point of access means a simpler service, avoiding multiple visits to your GP to receive results and referrals. We hope that the new service will make the patient experience smoother.”

If a referral is made by a GP, it will then be reviewed by a specialist physiotherapist, who will decide the next course of action, which could mean an appointment with a consultant, therapist or specialist doctor.

According to the CCG, as part of the plans, there will be a new advice service to help patients manage their condition.

There will also be access to wider services such as diagnostic tests and appliances.

Currently, patients are required to make multiple visits to GPs for results and referrals through two different providers in Wirral.

There is no “single point of access” service like the one set to come into existence.