‘Lack Of Physio Leaving Our Children To Suffer’

Lack of physiotherapy is putting the health of children with physical difficulties at risk, a group of parents has said.

The families of children with scoliosis – curvature of the spine – say Sirona Care and Health is failing to supply experienced physiotherapists to Claremont School in Bristol.

The complaints follow a decision by Sirona to reduce the number of physiotherapists at the school and instead instruct unqualified teaching staff how to manage scoliosis.

After being contacted by the BBC, Sirona commissioned a review of its children’s therapy service. A spokesperson said its priority was “the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we support”.

One of the parents, Helen, has a 15-year-old son named Sam who was born with severe cerebral palsy. As part of that condition, his spine is curved.

Helen said his scoliosis could be managed with appropriate physiotherapy and equipment at Claremont, a special school.

But the mother, from Bedminster in Bristol, claims community interest company Sirona made his scoliosis far worse from May 2024 to March 2025 as his school chair had been set up the wrong way round.

She said that his ribs looked stretched in X-rays by March 2025 and that his whole torso was becoming deformed.

“I just watched his back concertina,” she said. “Over a 10-month period, Sam’s spine went from 20 degrees to over 90 degrees and after a catastrophic collapse, he’s now in excruciating pain. It was entirely preventable.”

She added: “Sam is in excruciating pain because his scoliosis means the top of his pelvis is rubbing on his bottom rib.

“This in itself won’t necessarily shorten his life, but our choice, as parents, is to decide whether to leave him in agony for the rest of his life, or let him undergo a lengthy and risky operation which he may not survive.”

Sirona announced a reduction of physiotherapists at Claremont in June 2024, saying it would boost home visits.

Parents have told the BBC the decision led to experienced physiotherapists handing in their notice.

Helen wrote a complaint about the changes to Sirona but it described her letter as “aggressive and abusive”.

She said that, as a consequence, she withdrew her consent for Sirona to treat Sam.

Instead, she said she is using her life savings to pay for a private physiotherapist, costing £90 an hour.

Another parent, Julian, said he was also unfairly accused of being aggressive by Sirona.

He said a formal investigation had been carried out into his daughter Gemma’s care but he “didn’t see any action” so continued to contact the company.

Julian said he and his partner then received a letter saying Sirona had been informed they had been “aggressive and threatening” towards the therapy team.

Sirona told them they were being given a “second stage warning about modifying their daughter’s care”, Julian said.

The company also told the parents that their daughter would no longer be seen in their home and would be seen only at school, with a member of staff present in order to “protect the therapists”, the father said.

He added: “We were not being threatening. When we challenged them on [the warning] they could not give us a solid example of why that was done.”

Julian also said because the family had “stepped in” to make sure her physio treatment had continued, they had manage to avoid complication such as acute pain, bowel blockages, interrupted sleep and seizures which said could “all be life threatening”.

The group of parents, whose children all attend Claremont, have now written an open letter that criticises Sirona’s cuts to school physiotherapy.

The letter says a number of parents have contacted Sirona and the special education needs team at Bristol City Council to raise their concerns about the “profoundly negative impact on the development of our children at Claremont”.

‘Deeply concerned’

The letter continues: “The absence of therapists on a daily basis is not acceptable and is having a detrimental effect on them and represents a cut in service.”

The parents say all of their children have ECHPs – an education, care and health plan, which is a legal document outlining their needs, including therapy, and which unlocks funding.

“As their parents, we want to know what is happening with this funding,” the parents write.

“What is being done to reinstate the provision our children need?

“We are also deeply concerned about the poor communication regarding the changes, which has come third hand without any explanation.”

‘We will act’

Sirona declined to comment about the families’ allegations but told the BBC its external review, which began on 1 December, is expected to run until mid-February.

In a statement, spokesperson Mary Lewis, Sirona’s chief nursing officer, said: “We have ensured that all concerns raised with us have been formally recorded and will be shared with the review team, and we are working closely with our partners throughout the process.

“The inquiry will look in depth at how the service is operating across all settings. It will identify what is working well, what may need to improve, and whether any factors within Sirona or the wider system could impact the delivery of the standard of care we expect.

“An Appreciative Inquiry is a structured, transparent and strengths-based method that examines the experience of those receiving care and those providing it.

“We will act on the findings of the review. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we support, and ensuring our staff have the conditions they need to deliver high-quality care.”