The Physiotherapy Department in St James's Hospital work with patients of all ages and conditions to improve movement, restore function, reduce pain, and prevent further injury, we pride ourselves on providing treatment in line with best practice guidelines. Our team is comprised of dedicated, experienced and specialised physiotherapists who are all registered practitioners with CORU, the health and social care professional regulatory body.
Physiotherapy is part of the SCOPe Directorate.
We have a team of close to 100 staff including clinical specialists/ senior and staff grade physiotherapists along with physiotherapy assistants and clerical staff.
We work across a wide range of specialities within the hospital including:
Musculoskeletal Service
Inpatients – this includes orthopaedic trauma and elective surgeries; we provide rehabilitation to patients following surgery to reach their rehab goals.
Outpatients – we provide individual treatment sessions and group-based classes to patients following joint and soft tissue injuries as fractures, sporting injuries, spinal pain and hand injuries
Other outpatient services include:
Rehabilitation Service
Inpatients
Our physiotherapy rehabilitation service across the hospital provides care in the key clinical specialities including care of the elderly, stroke, acute medicine and general acute rehabilitation. The goal is for patients to achieve their optimal physical function through exercise therapy.
Cardiorespiratory Service
Inpatients
The cardiorespiratory team works with inpatients throughout the hospital in critical care, cardiothoracics, surgical and medical respiratory wards. The team work on restoring a patients respiratory and mobility function.
Outpatient Pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation
The pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation programmes are run in our purpose build gym – they consist of both an educational and exercise-based model to assist patients improve their cardiorespiratory function.
Outreach Service
Early Supported Discharge for stroke – the team supports the early and safe discharge of patients form hospital to home following a stroke. This is a multidisciplinary team that works together to achieve a patient’s rehab goals.
Active Recovery Team- the team supports earlier discharge by providing rehabilitation in the home. This multidisciplinary team provides a holistic goals based service to patients of all ages and specialties in the hospital.
Respiratory Assessment Unit - we offer an 8-week outpatient programme of exercise and education for persons with respiratory disease whose daily activities are limited by breathlessness.
Referral information
Patients require a doctor's referral from a consultant team within the hospital to see a physiotherapist in the hospital. Referrals are clinically prioritised as either urgent or routine based on the information provided in the referral.
Your Appointment
Please note our cancellation / non-attendance policy
SJH Physiotherapy Research:
We pride ourselves on supporting a strong culture of physiotherapy research and innovation, we have an active physiotherapy research and development committee within our department and staff are supported to participate in further learning such as masters’ programmes/diplomas and attend conferences.
Physiotherapy Students
The Physiotherapy Department in SH has strong links with Trinity College Dublin physiotherapy students and supervisors over 60 undergraduate and post graduate physiotherapy students on clinical practice placements annually.
Transition year students
Annually we run a transition year presentation to students on the work of a Physiotherapist in St James’s and provide information about a day in the life, career progression, salary etc.- please keep an eye on our website or social media platform for further information. We do facilitate transition year students as we can, you e mail us at typhysio@stjames.ie for further information.
Please find below some of our Emergency Department physiotherapy patient information leaflets:
Musculoskeletal:
Emergency Department Physiotherapy Appointment Information
Falls Prevention - Exercises and Information
Respiratory:
Burns and Plastics:
Hand Therapy - St James's Hospital
Stroke:
Early Supported Discharge (ESD) for stroke
Breast Care:
Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators (DIEP) Reconstruction exercises
Physiotherapy Latissimus Dorsi Flap Reconstruction excercises
Patient Information Videos:
Post-surgery exercises – all breast surgeries except breast reconstruction 1
Post-surgery exercises – all breast surgeries except breast reconstruction 2
Post Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators (DIEP) Reconstruction exercises
We value your feedback
Every year in physiotherapy we see 20,000 new patients and provide 100,000 treatments. We value all patient feedback and other service users feedback greatly.
If you have attended the Physiotherapy Department as an outpatient and wish to give us feedback on your experience, please email physioreception@stjames.ie for feedback form or click here to go directly to the online feedback survey.
The physiotherapy department is located in Hospital 4. If you enter the Eircode D08E9P6 into google maps it will direct you to the department building.
Google Maps Directions
Access from the underground car park:
You will arrive in the main concourse of the Hospital from the car park stairs. Take a left and another left after the spiral staircase onto route 2. Follow this corridor and take the first available right onto MISA corridor. Take a left at Leopold’s coffee and walk to the exterior double doors. Go outside, turning left immediately towards the vehicle barrier. The building in front of you is the back of Hospital 4. Follow around the building to your left and you will come to the front door of Hospital 4.
Access from James's Street entrance and Luas stop:
As you walk from the luas towards the Hospital, veer left at the junction passing the morgue, the lab and the Covid testing centre. Follow that road for approximately 100m and Hospital 4 is on your right.
Access from Fatima entrance and Luas stop:
Walk through the pedestrian gate behind the luas stop. Walk straight towards the MISA building, turn right, passing by the vehicle barrier. The building in front of you is the back of Hospital 4. Follow around the building to your left and you will come to the front door of Hospital 4.
Access from Rialto entrance:
Follow the main road around past the new children’s hospital. Pass by the Hospital 2 entrance, the car park and the bus stops, taking a right at the end of the buildings, after the bike shed. Follow that road for approximately 100m and Hospital 4 is on your right.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm
The physiotherapy department can be found within Hospital 4.
Entering the Eircode D08E9P6 into Google Maps will guide you to the department's building.
See bottom of page for more details..