Allied health professionals
Physiotherapy Diploma
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An evidence-led diploma for experienced physiotherapists: the assessment, reasoning and treatment decisions that matter most in musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiorespiratory and older people's practice, from spotting serious pathology early to building rehabilitation that patients stick to.
Twenty-five weekly sessions across five modules take you from clinical reasoning and safe first contact, through spinal, persistent and joint pain, tendon, fracture and post-operative rehabilitation, to neurological, cardiorespiratory, pelvic health and older people's rehabilitation, anchored on guidance from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and taught live by practising clinicians you can question.
- Course director
- To be announced
- Format
- 25 live weekly sessions on Zoom, in 5 modules
- Fee
- £1,200 (scholarships available)
- Dates
- Confirmed when enrolment opens
Who it is for
Qualified physiotherapists with several years' experience in musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiorespiratory or older people's practice, including those moving into first contact and advanced roles, worldwide.
The programme
25 one-hour sessions in 5 modules, each with its learning objectives. This is the draft programme: the course director reviews and refines it before enrolment opens, so session titles may change.
Module 1 · Sessions 1 to 5Clinical reasoning and safe first contact
1. Clinical reasoning and the biopsychosocial assessment
- Structure a subjective and physical examination around testable hypotheses
- Identify the biological, psychological and social factors driving a patient's disability
- Agree a management plan with the patient using the principles of NICE NG197 on shared decision making
- Document clinical reasoning so that another clinician can follow and audit it
2. Serious spinal pathology and cauda equina syndrome
- Recognise presentations that raise suspicion of spinal malignancy, infection, fracture or cauda equina syndrome
- Apply a national suspected cauda equina pathway, including when emergency imaging is needed
- Give safety-netting advice that the patient understands and can act on
- Explain why single red flags have low diagnostic value and how to weigh them together
3. Neck pain, headache and vascular screening
- Classify neck pain and headache presentations from history and examination
- Screen for potential vascular pathology of the neck before manual therapy, using the international framework for examination of the cervical region
- Decide when to withhold manual therapy and refer a patient urgently
- Obtain informed consent for neck manual therapy that covers its risks
4. Imaging, investigations and onward referral
- Decide when imaging will change management for a musculoskeletal presentation
- Interpret common MRI and X-ray report findings, including age-related changes
- Explain imaging results to patients in language that does not cause fear
- Refer for an injection or surgical opinion with the information the receiving clinician needs
5. Exercise prescription and behaviour change
- Prescribe exercise with a stated dose, progression and outcome measure
- Apply behaviour change techniques recommended by NICE PH49 to improve adherence
- Modify an exercise programme safely when symptoms flare
- Choose when a remote or app-supported programme is appropriate
Module 2 · Sessions 6 to 10Spinal, persistent and joint pain
6. Low back pain and sciatica after the 2026 NICE update
- Stratify a new episode of low back pain by its risk of a poor outcome
- Build a treatment package around exercise, using manual therapy only alongside it
- Explain why NICE withdrew its psychological therapy recommendations for low back pain in 2026 and what that means for practice
- Identify sciatica that needs referral for a specialist opinion
7. Inflammatory back pain and axial spondyloarthritis
- Recognise the features of inflammatory back pain in a patient with chronic back pain
- Apply NICE NG65 criteria to decide when to refer for a rheumatology assessment
- Explain to a patient why early diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis matters
- Design an exercise programme for a patient with established axial spondyloarthritis
8. Persistent pain: assessment and management
- Distinguish chronic primary pain from chronic secondary pain and explain why it changes management
- Deliver pain education that a patient can apply to daily activity
- Use supervised exercise and activity pacing as core treatment for persistent pain
- Recognise when a patient needs referral to a specialist pain or psychological service
9. Hip and knee osteoarthritis
- Diagnose hip and knee osteoarthritis clinically without routine imaging
- Deliver therapeutic exercise and weight management as core treatment
- Explain to patients why NICE advises against acupuncture and dry needling for osteoarthritis
- Decide when to refer a patient for a joint replacement opinion
10. Shoulder pain
- Classify shoulder pain into its main clinical groups from history and examination
- Apply the GRASP trial findings when choosing between advice and supervised exercise
- Discuss the short-term role of corticosteroid injection with a patient
- Identify shoulder presentations that need urgent imaging or a surgical opinion
Module 3 · Sessions 11 to 15Tendon, ligament, fracture and post-operative rehabilitation
11. Tendinopathy: loading and return to activity
- Diagnose common lower limb tendinopathies from history and examination
- Design a progressive loading programme with clear criteria for progression
- Advise on load management for work, sport and daily life
- Discuss the evidence for injections and other adjuncts honestly with patients
12. Anterior cruciate ligament injury: rehabilitation or reconstruction
- Assess a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury and identify associated injuries
- Discuss rehabilitation and reconstruction options using the ACL SNNAP trial findings
- Plan criteria-based rehabilitation before and after reconstruction
- Decide on return to sport using objective criteria rather than time alone
13. Rehabilitation after joint replacement
- Prepare a patient for joint replacement with education and preoperative exercise
- Start rehabilitation within 24 hours of hip, knee or shoulder replacement, as NICE NG157 recommends
- Recognise stiffness, instability or infection that needs a surgical review
- Set realistic goals for function and return to activity after joint replacement
14. Hip fracture, osteoporosis and fragility fracture
- Mobilise a patient on the day after hip fracture surgery unless contraindicated, as NICE CG124 recommends
- Contribute physiotherapy goals to a multidisciplinary orthogeriatric plan
- Prescribe safe exercise for people with osteoporosis or vertebral fracture
- Identify patients who need a bone health and falls assessment after a fragility fracture
15. Fracture rehabilitation and its complications
- Interpret weight-bearing instructions and loading limits after fracture management
- Progress rehabilitation as a fracture heals, in agreement with the treating team
- Recognise complex regional pain syndrome, delayed union and other complications early
- Communicate concerns about fracture healing to the treating surgeon clearly
Module 4 · Sessions 16 to 20Neurological and cardiorespiratory rehabilitation
16. Stroke rehabilitation
- Plan stroke rehabilitation to the intensity recommended by NICE NG236
- Set rehabilitation goals with the patient and the multidisciplinary team
- Choose evidence-based approaches for gait and upper limb recovery
- Identify patients suitable for early supported discharge
17. Progressive neurological conditions
- Assess balance, gait and falls risk in a person with a progressive neurological condition
- Deliver Parkinson's-specific physiotherapy for balance and motor problems, as NICE NG71 recommends
- Advise people with multiple sclerosis on exercise and fatigue in line with NICE NG220
- Adapt rehabilitation goals as a progressive condition changes
18. Dizziness and vestibular rehabilitation
- Distinguish peripheral from central causes of dizziness and recognise red flags for stroke
- Diagnose and treat posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with repositioning manoeuvres
- Design a vestibular rehabilitation programme for peripheral vestibular hypofunction
- Explain persistent postural-perceptual dizziness to a patient and plan its management
19. Respiratory physiotherapy in acute care
- Assess a patient with sputum retention and choose an airway clearance technique
- Recognise respiratory deterioration and escalate it promptly
- Plan rehabilitation after critical illness in line with NICE CG83
- Prioritise an on-call respiratory caseload safely
20. Pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation
- Select and interpret a field exercise test to prescribe rehabilitation
- Deliver pulmonary rehabilitation in line with the 2023 British Thoracic Society clinical statement
- Prescribe safe exercise after an acute coronary syndrome or in heart failure
- Adapt activity advice for long COVID and for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, where graded exercise therapy is not recommended
Module 5 · Sessions 21 to 25Older people, pelvic health, cancer care and advanced roles
21. Falls and frailty
- Assess falls risk in older people using the approach in NICE NG249
- Prescribe progressive strength and balance exercise to prevent falls
- Address concerns about falling that limit a person's activity
- Prevent deconditioning in older people admitted to hospital
22. Pelvic health
- Screen any patient for pelvic floor dysfunction sensitively
- Deliver a supervised pelvic floor muscle training programme of at least 3 months for stress or mixed urinary incontinence
- Manage pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain with advice and exercise
- Recognise when to refer to a specialist pelvic health service
23. Cancer rehabilitation and prehabilitation
- Prescribe safe exercise for people before, during and after cancer treatment
- Recognise the early symptoms of metastatic spinal cord compression and refer urgently, following NICE NG234
- Manage cancer-related fatigue with activity planning
- Adapt rehabilitation goals for people receiving palliative care
24. First contact and advanced practice: roles and limits
- Describe the training routes and governance that first contact and advanced practice roles require in your country
- Work within your current scope when requesting investigations or advising on medicines
- Explain what further accredited training prescribing and injection therapy require
- Audit your own caseload outcomes against a recognised standard
25. Leading services and complex case review
- Apply the course to complex multi-system cases in a panel discussion
- Select outcome measures to evaluate a physiotherapy service
- Supervise and develop less experienced colleagues
- Build a personal plan for continuing professional development
What the diploma includes
- 25 live sessions on Zoom, one evening a week, with recordings for the weeks you miss.
- Practising specialists teaching live, so you can put your questions to them.
- Weekly MCQs and a final written assessment.
- A digital certificate carrying your final classification.
Lead or teach the Physiotherapy Diploma
We are looking for a course director and faculty from the specialty. Sessions are one hour in the UK evening, live on Zoom, and paid.