Our physiotherapists, Charlotte and Nicole help people adapt to life with a life limiting condition.

From supporting with mobility issues to helping people manage fatigue, breathlessness and anxiety, their work focuses on areas that may affect day-to-day life and empowers people to maintain their independence for as long as possible.

Lead Specialist Physiotherapist, Charlotte has worked at Compton Care since May 2025, and Physiotherapy Assistant, Nicole has worked here for more than 28 years.

We caught up with Charlotte and Nicole to find out more about Physiotherapy at Compton, the ‘Let’s Breathe’ programme they run and what they enjoy most about their work…

Every day is different

“For us, every day is different as we see many patients in a number of different places, including the Compton Care Inpatient Unit and out in the local community, as well as at groups and clinics.

“Generally speaking, we will arrive in the morning and look through the referrals we have received and discuss these in more detail. We then attend the morning hand over meeting to discuss the patients on the Inpatient Unit with the medical team and nursing staff.

“Depending on the day, we will assess and treat patients staying on the Inpatient Unit for symptom relief such as breathless and fatigue management, or a mobility assessment to help patients maintain their independence.

“We may complete a home visit to patients with long-term conditions and give advice and education to them and their families/carers on breathlessness management or mobility concerns.”

Let’s Breathe

“We also deliver a monthly educational group called ‘Let’s Breathe’ for those with long-term conditions suffering with breathlessness. This happens once a week and is a 3-week programme where we teach coping strategies, breathing techniques and maintaining independence. The patients enjoy this group as they benefit from the support of the physiotherapy team but also meet others in similar situations to themselves.

“Physiotherapy is a key part of the team in a hospice environment. We provide a holistic approach to patients on our Inpatient Unit and in the community, focussing on living well, maintaining independence and supporting people through palliative conditions.”

Making a difference

It sounds cliché, but we love hearing that a patient’s life has been positively impacted by the advice, education or treatment the Physiotherapy team has given them. Whether that’s out in the community, in clinic or on the Inpatient Unit. We’re here to help patients meet personal goals and improve their quality of life, and if we know this has been achieved it makes us feel proud to do what we do.

“We had a patient attend our ‘Let’s Breathe’ group who had previously had several hospital admissions due to his breathlessness. Prior to the group, he was seen at home and given the option to attend the group. He was clearly very anxious about his breathlessness, and it was severely impacting his daily life to the point he had stopped leaving the house.

“After attending the programme, he reported he now felt confident in managing his breathlessness and he didn’t feel scared anymore. This was lovely to hear, and we hope to continue making a difference in patients’ quality of lives.”

Find out more about the support offered by our Physiotherapy team.

Read James’ story to find out more about our Let’s Breathe programme and how it supported him with his breathlessness.