ArrivalPlease arrive at least 5 minutes early for your appointment, if possible. This gives us time to check your registration and health forms are completed and makes sure any insurance policy details are added accurately. ​You will be welcomed by our reception team, Julia, Kari, Mary or Rebecca. Forms & RegistrationWe now use an online registration form and health questionnaire. You will have received an email and a linked SMS text when your initial appointment was booked. This captures your registration details which the admin team will check on arrival. Your health questionnaire information is automatically added to our clinic admin system ready for your physiotherapist to review. If there are any problems with this online form, please get in touch before your appointment. If you cannot fill out online, just download our registration form PDF here to print and bring with you on the day. If you are pushed for time, we can also provide forms to fill in whilst you wait in reception. Either way is fine. Terms & ConditionsPlease read our terms & conditions page prior to signing our T&C's.

Registration Information & Health QuestionnairePlease bring any medical information that might be relevant to your health history, for the problem you are seeing us for. If using, bring your health insurance policy number and authorisation code, if not already provided. If these are not known before your appointment then you will be asked to pay up front for the session at our self pay rate. Clothing Loose comfortable clothing is recommended for the convenience of yourself and the therapist. After your history has been taken the physiotherapist will perform a physical examination. This may involve the physiotherapist asking you to remove items of clothing. Therefore, it is a good idea to bring along a pair of shorts or a vest top if this is will help you feel more comfortable.Consent & Respect​We respect an individual’s dignity at all times and you are welcome to bring a chaperone with you. Please make sure you indicate if you have a preference for a particular therapist at the point of booking. For individuals under the age of 18, a chaperone is compulsory for the protection of the individual and the therapist.

Medical HistoryAt your first consultation the physiotherapist will take a detailed medical history, including information about your lifestyle (exercise, work environment etc) including factors that may be contributing to the problem, rather than just treating the symptoms. The physiotherapist will go through any relevant information noted on your health questionnaire. Hands -on AssessmentThey will most likely, observe your general mobility and movement and then focus more on involved area. Physiotherapists use a variety of assessment techniques which involve hands-on contact with your limbs and body. They may look at your range of movement, stiffness, and pain and use standardised testing or outcome measures to build a clinical picture. You must indicate if you do not consent to this aspect of the assessment. The initial appointment is likely to last for between 45 to 60 minutes and subsequent treatment sessions usually for 30 minutes.Treatment PlanAfter identifying the possible causes of your condition the physiotherapist will discuss their findings with you and propose a treatment plan designed around your needs and goals. You will be given advice about self-management and whether you would benefit from further follow-up sessions.

You do not need a GP referral if you are self-funding because physiotherapists are primary practitioners. Massage Therapy can also accept a referral from any source. Health Insurance ReferralsIf you are going to be claiming your treatment through an insurance company, most insurance companies require that you are referred by a GP, specialist or their own in-house medical triage practitioners. Please check your policy or ask your insurance company directly.Please note that we have heard that some health insurance companies may initially block your referral to us by stating a particular clinician is not found to be recognised with them. When searching for a particular clinician for a referral, please remind them that all our clinicians are listed under our clinic name 'The Physio Studio', rather than having an individual personal listing using their own name. Providers may also initially encourage you to attend their central hub clinics, you can ask if it is possible to come to us instead. Please be aware of any fee terms in this situation. ​Physiotherapy onward referralsPhysiotherapy can benefit a wide range of conditions. However, in some cases our experienced physiotherapists may feel that treatment is not appropriate and will inform you of this at your initial assessment. Depending on the nature of the problem, we should be able to offer you advice on what the next step might be. For example, we have an excellent relationship with local GPs, consultants and other health professionals who may be able to assist your condition. Other onward referrals or recommendations could be for Massage Therapy, Pilates which we have 'in-house'. Any questions about a referral?If you would like to ask one of our team for advice on whether physiotherapy is the right option for you, please send an email to us at askaphysio@physiostudio.com

Card PaymentsIf you booked online, the payment is taken care of already. For all other bookings, if you are self-funding, our reception team can take payment by card after the appointment using our card machine. We unfortunately do not take American express cards. BACS paymentsAlternatively, you can pay by setting up a BACS payment with your bank. Please make sure you put a name and reference or d.o.b on the payment. Details can be found here. ​Pilates Class Block PaymentsTo guarantee your space in your preferred class, we ask for payment at the end of the current block, ready to start week 1 of the new block of classes. Any places not confirmed at week 1 are offered to those on the waiting list. Thank you for your understanding that we are unable to reimburse missed classes in a block. The advanced payment encourages a commitment to attend consistently which builds the most progress. It also covers our operational costs and ensures that we can run classes with an instructor who is aware of your individual needs to maximise your progression.​Health Insurance Excess PaymentsFor those using Health Insurance, we can take excess or member contribution payments at the reception desk by card or by at any time by BACS. Please click here for more information.Any other queries not covered here, then please reach out to our reception team on 01344 861891 during clinic hours.

Re-Scheduling appointmentsPlease provide at least 24 hours' notice (excluding weekends) to reschedule your appointment. We understand that plans can change, so please let us know as soon as possible if you need to change your appointment. This gives us the best chance to re-fill the slot and arrange a more convenient time for you, where possible. Cancellation FeesNon-attendance or cancellations made with less than 24 hour's notice will incur the full treatment fee. Please note that insurance companies will not cover missed appointments, so you will be charged directly. We cannot send an invoice to your insurance policy provider for a missed appointment as it would be a breach of the terms of our contract with them.We thank you for your understanding.

Yes! We are registered with all the major medical insurance companies Which companies do you accept?-WPA, BUPA, AXA Health, Vitality, Simply Health, Health-on-line, Healix and Aviva. Please note that not all our physiotherapists take all insurance companies. Refer to the FAQ section 'Why don't all physiotherapists take all insurance companies' to understand why. We regularly hear that some health insurance companies may initially block your referral to us by stating a particular clinician is not found to be recognised with them. When searching for a preferred clinician for a referral, please remind insurers that all our clinicians are listed under our clinic name 'The Physio Studio', rather than having an individual personal listing using their own name. Providers may also initially encourage you to attend their central hub clinics, you can ask if it is possible to come to us instead. Please be aware of any fee term differences in this situation. Reimbursement Rates 2026Please note that if you have an excess or member contribution to pay, the total excess will be adjusted to the rates below for each appointment. After notification, any balance due is paid to us directly until your excess total contribution has been fulfilled. Appointments not covered by your insurer would revert to our current self pay rate and will be charged directly to you. Bupa £50 = Initial Assessment£40 = 30 Minute Follow-UpAxa & Aviva£55 = Initial Assessment£45 = 30 Minute Follow-UpVitality Vitality Policies have different fee structures depending upon their origin/ type. Please check for own benefit terms before bookingGeneral policy origins:£35 = All appointment types(some policies have capped rate - patient pays fee shortfall, see notes)Post Surgical, Consultant Referrals & other policy origins:£89 = Initial Assessment£65 = 30 Minute Follow-Up WPA, Healix & other independent providers (in line with our self funding rates)£89 = Initial Assessment£65 = 30 Minute Follow-UpIf you have any queries about the rates or how invoices are processed then please do get in touch and we are happy to help you:Best contacts are:Practice Manager- Julia (admin@physiostudio.com)Accounts Team - Julie (Julie@physiostudio.com)Director - Rebecca (rebecca.chisholm@physiostudio.com)

Why do some clinicians not accept some insurance companies?As the years have gone by, most insurance companies have kept their reimbursement levels artificially low by citing competition in the market place. This creates a self-fulfilling fee ceiling as they set their own prices. Some have seen negligible increases, far below the rising everyday costs and sadly, some have even significantly reduced their reimbursement fees, without consultation. This creates a difficult dynamic. Although we would prefer to support patients with these policies, it has become too financially challenging in many cases to continue to do so. Our clinicians are very aware of these tensions. Thank you for your understanding. Please review the historic fee changes below to understand those decisions.For reference, our current self pay rates are:£89 = Initial Assessment £65 = 30 Minute Follow upHistoric Fee Agreements Bupa Initial Assessment2013 = £422026 = £50Bupa 30 Minute Treatment 2013 = £42 2026 = £40 Clinical time spent on further treatment reports is not reimbursed by Bupa. Assessment fee was increased but treatment fee was reduced. Axa 30 Minute Treatment 2016 = £422026 = £45Aviva 30 Minute Treatment2016 = £482026 = £45 Aviva Initial Assessment2016 = £70 2026 = £55 In 2025, Aviva paid £89 for an assessment and £65 for a 30 minute follow-up, keeping track with our self-funding fees until September 2025. Aviva recently notified us that we would now only receive £55 per initial assessment and £45 for a 30 minute follow-up, with no explanation. This has been a profession-wide decision for physiotherapists, not just our clinic. Where in the past, we were allowed to reclaim the remainder from the patient as part of a 'shortfall' contribution (not Bupa or Axa) this is not permitted from September. Our fees are capped. VITALITYGeneral policies:Some vitality policies cap your benefit reimbursements to: £35 towards all appointments (any shortfall balance to be paid directly to us)Post-Surgical policies or Consultant Origin policies:Initial Assessment = £89 (our full self-funding fee)30 minute follow-up = £65 (our full self-funding fee)Vitality payments vary depending upon the source of the referral. We do encourage patients to 'pay-up'front' and claim back from Vitality as we will not know if full or part reimbursement is due until the invoice is procesed at which point we will email to ask you to pay us the remaining balance directly. It is more straight forward for you to claim from Vitality with a PDF receipt showing your payment to us, rather than process each invoice as a shortfall each time. We believe this is the best process for you and we thank you for understanding. Why outline these challenges?We inform you of this situation so you have the best opportunity to understand why some clinicians chose not to work with some insurers. All our physiotherapists have 14 year clinical experience and many have more than 20+ years. However, the insurance companies do not take into account the clinical expertise value of any provider when setting rates in comparison to another physio or clinic who may have only newly qualified physiotherapists. Our therapists invest in high quality continuing professional development courses. Clinical groups and our professional body continue to lobby the government in recent years to gain some momentum to increase awareness with the public. Whilst we wait for a positive outcome, we feel it is still important to be be able to support our regular patients who have policies they wish to use.

Invoices & Electronic BillingOn completion of your appointment, we send the invoice to your insurance company electronically on your behalf. Once the invoice has been assessed by them, we receive a remittance advice which tells us:a) if the invoice is covered under the terms of your policy benefitsb) if there is any excess or member contribution due c) how much will be paid to us by the insurance company or how much you are to pay directly to us as part of your policy contribution or benefit cap. We would then notfiy you by email if there are any fees due to directlty to us.Terms & ConditionsPlease see our terms & conditions before deciding to use your policy. Always make sure you are familiar with your policy benefits and excess before booking your appointment. Appointment limitsIt is your responsibility to keep track of how many sessions you have had and to make sure you stay within your particular policy limits and thresholds. Any fees incurred outside of these terms must be covered by you and are not the clinician or clinic's responsibility. Who can help me understand my invoice / claims?We understand that insurance claims can be complicated, so we are always more than happy to answer any queries you may have as we deal with these issues everyday. Best contacts are:Practice Manager- Julia (admin@physiostudio.com)Accounts Team - Julie (Julie@physiostudio.com)Director - Rebecca (rebecca.chisholm@physiostudio.com)