30 June 2021
Linda Ashton is an advanced clinical specialist physiotherapist at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. With a 20-year career in rheumatology physiotherapy, Linda tells us what attracted her to the specialty, why she's an active BSR member and about her work with the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Tell us about your day-to-day role?
Outside of COVID-19, my time is spent running clinics where I’m performing diagnostic ultrasound as well as administering joint and soft tissue injections. I’m mainly clinic-based, but part of my remit is also to teach and clinically supervise and support junior members of staff.
I'm fortunate to work in Greater Glasgow and Clyde as they have a large rheumatology allied health professional (AHP) team. We have 14 qualified physiotherapists who cover seven hospitals, plus occupational therapists and physiotherapy support workers. We’re a close-knit team, which our patients hugely benefit from. Our consultants are supportive and we're recognised as vital members of the multidisciplinary team.
What attracted you to physiotherapy?
I went to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen determined to become a physiotherapist involved in sport. I aimed to be the best physiotherapist the Scottish rugby team had ever seen! During my student training, my attention turned to neuro-physio as I had enjoyed that, but it was whilst rotating through different specialties, once qualified, that I found rheumatology.
What was it about rheumatology that you liked?
Rheumatology was my second rotation and within a couple of weeks I was sold! You're not just simply treating a patient and sending them away. You get to know them over a long period of time and see the difference your input makes. The way I treated patients 20 years ago is completely different to the rheumatology we know now. There's been a real evolution and seeing the impact that it's had for patients is incredible.
Why did you become a BSR member?
I’ve been a member for a long time; I joined after attending an annual conference. I loved being able to network with everybody and learn from other colleagues. At the time there wasn’t much for physios or AHPs, but a lot has changed and continues to evolve.
I’m now a representative on BSR’s Physiotherapist Working Group and we're focusing on ways in which we can introduce content and learning for all AHPs. There's already been a lot of discussion and planning to try to find ways to bring plenty of content and learning for all AHPs.
What have you gained from your involvement with BSR?
When you’re looking for new ideas or a different way of doing things, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel yourself. There will be other people out there also trying to do the same thing and who are happy to share their knowledge and experience.
Attending a BSR annual conference offers you the opportunity to learn but also often gives you the reassurance that your own service and knowledge is up to date. There's always so much to learn and reconsider for your own service.
Why is it important to be a BSR member?
BSR has fantastic opportunities to learn and network. It's vital to have people you can tap into and exchange ideas with. Sometimes you’re wondering whether you’re doing something right, which is why having that network to call on is important. In Glasgow, we have such a supportive network of colleagues, but for others who may be the only physio in a hospital treating rheumatology patients, it’s important to have a network that you can reach out to for support.
You’ve been helping with the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Glasgow; how has that been?
Many of the rheumatology and musculoskeletal physios have completed vaccination training. We were part-released from our posts for one or two days a week to vaccinate all eligible long-term inpatients within Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals.
It involved a lot of logistics, because many inpatients had complex medical needs and lacked capacity to consent to the vaccination. As a result, the medical teams had to ensure appropriate steps had been taken to obtain consent and background medical checks needed to be completed before we could vaccinate.
It's been a huge commitment and a challenge. If we got to the end of the day and had seven doses left in the vial, we didn’t go home until we found another seven patients to vaccinate. Our plan is to continue to provide this vaccination service, but now that our rheumatology service is remobilising at full speed, we'll need to work out how best to incorporate it into our normal day-to-day duties and responsibilities.
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