I NOTE your recent story (Courant, June 13) about the CCG procurement of NHS musculoskeletal physiotherapy services in Northumverland, and a joint venture with Connect Physiotherapy, which is a private company.

It is true that the CCG plan to withdraw the outreach physiotherapy services around Hexham in Allendale, Prudhoe, Haltwhistle and Bellingham.

All patients over the age of 16 being referred with musculoskeletal symptoms will be triaged by the private company and, as gatekeepers, they will then place patients into appropriate primary and secondary care clinics.

This has worked well in other areas and is an efficient pathway which saves time and ensures patients get timely care in the correct place.

Any patients referred to physiotherapy will be assessed by a physiotherapist over the phone (except in certain circumstances) and decision will then be made as to whether they will be issued with advice on self-management, or seen after this as a face to face contact.

This system operates in many other areas of the NHS, but many other areas have better public transport services to improve the accessibility for patients to a main site.

Many staff, however, have major concerns for the accessibility of physiotherapy services for patients, and the consequent strain this may put on ambulance and domiciliary services with the loss of in-house physiotherapy.

There will still be a physiotherapy service at Hexham General Hospital, but staff are shortly going through a redeployment and restructuring process, which may result in down-banding and a transfer, or loss of posts and therefore a reduction in clinical capacity.

Funding for MSK services has been reduced with the new contract, and therefore services need to be delivered in a different way – affecting access for local residents depending on where they live.

This is obviously a stressful time for staff and patients who work and live in the Hexham area, and other areas of Northumberland served by other hospitals within the trust.

I understand some local GPs are giving their patients questionnaires regarding the changes as many feel there has been inadequate consultation during the whole process.