Cystic Fibrosis Team
The Leeds Regional Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Centre cares for 175 children with cystic fibrosis on a full-care basis, and a further 60 children on a shared care basis together with their district general hospitals, making our service one of the largest paediatric cystic fibrosis centres in the UK.
Physiotherapy is a fundamental part in the management of CF. We are a team of specialised paediatric physiotherapists who work as part of the multidisciplinary team to help advise and support individual treatment programmes.
We have input from time of diagnosis through to transition to adult services and provide care to inpatients, patients attending clinic and also offer some community input. Our aim is to help individuals with CF maximise their function and help support self-management. Physiotherapy assessment and treatment specifically focuses around airway clearance, exercise, use of inhaled and nebulised medication and minimising musculoskeletal, continence and postural problems.
As part of the Multi-Disciplinary CF Team physiotherapists are involved in monitoring children's progress and jointly deciding on treatment options.
We perform annual assessments and can also monitor progress using Lung function testing and Exercise testing.
Daily Airway Clearance sessions and Exercise are two of the most important mainstays of Cystic Fibrosis treatment.
The physiotherapy team is constantly working together with families from diagnosis through to the time when they transfer to the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit, delivering education and support to families ensuring treatment regimens are effective and individualised.
We are involved with ascertaining a child’s suitability for nebulised medication and are involved with nebuliser provision.
As part of the standardised Shared Care Service we work closely with the CF physiotherapists in Halifax, Huddersfield, York, Scarborough and Bradford.
