Clinical Governance Statement – Physio From Home

Last Updated: February 2026

1. Introduction

Clinical governance is the framework through which Physio From Home is accountable for continuously improving the quality of our services and safeguarding high standards of care. This statement outlines how we ensure the safety, effectiveness, and quality of our AI-assisted physiotherapy assessment service.

2. Our Clinical Team

Qualified Physiotherapists

All physiotherapists who review assessments and create rehabilitation programs for Physio From Home are:

• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Hold a recognised physiotherapy degree qualification
• Maintain up-to-date Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Have appropriate professional indemnity insurance
• Undergo regular performance reviews

3. The Role of AI in Our Service

AI-Assisted Assessment

Our service uses advanced AI technology (powered by Anthropic’s Claude) to conduct initial patient assessments. The AI is programmed to:

• Gather relevant clinical information through structured conversational questions
• Screen for red flag symptoms requiring urgent medical attention (see Section 4)
• Generate a preliminary provisional diagnosis with confidence rating
• Generate an AI clinical summary for the reviewing physiotherapist
• Identify when conditions are outside our scope (e.g., chronic inflammatory conditions)
• Enforce single-injury-per-assessment limits

Human Oversight

Importantly, the AI does not work in isolation. Every AI-generated assessment is reviewed by a qualified, HCPC-registered physiotherapist before any rehabilitation program is sent to the patient. The physiotherapist:

• – Reviews the AI-generated clinical summary
• – Reviews the full assessment transcript for verification
• – Reviews any uploaded medical images
• – Reviews the body chart pain/tingling markers
• – Validates or adjusts the provisional diagnosis
• – Creates a personalised rehabilitation program
• – Identifies any cases requiring escalation or referral
• – Identifies any safeguarding concerns from the transcript

Data the AI Does Not Access

To maintain clinical appropriateness and data minimisation, the following data is collected but not shared with the AI: height, weight, BMI, and uploaded medical images. These are only available to the reviewing physiotherapist.

4. Patient Safety

Red Flag Screening

Our AI system is specifically trained to identify red flag symptoms that may indicate serious underlying conditions. The screening includes:

General red flags (all assessments):

• – Cauda equina syndrome symptoms (saddle numbness, bladder/bowel dysfunction)
• – Signs of fracture after significant trauma
• – Signs of infection (fever with severe pain, night sweats, chills)
• – Neurological deterioration (sudden severe weakness, inability to walk)
• – Cardiac symptoms (chest pain, difficulty breathing)
• – Unexplained weight loss with pain

Region-specific screening:

• – Lower back pain: Structured 5-question cauda equina screening protocol, specifically asking about new or recent onset of each symptom to distinguish from pre-existing conditions
• – Neck pain: 5D’s and 3N’s screening for vertebrobasilar insufficiency (dizziness, diplopia, drop attacks, dysarthria, dysphagia, nystagmus, nausea, numbness around face/lips)
• – Knee pain: Mechanical symptom screening (clicking/clunking, locking, giving way)

When red flags are detected, patients are immediately advised to seek urgent medical attention and the assessment is terminated. The physiotherapy team is notified via urgent email alert.

Scope Limitations

We clearly communicate that our service:

• – Is designed to complement, not replace, face-to-face physiotherapy
• – Is not a substitute for emergency medical care
• – Is not suitable for chronic multi-joint inflammatory conditions (fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis)
• – Provides guidance based on information provided by the patient
• – Recommends face-to-face assessment if symptoms persist or worsen

5. Quality Assurance

We maintain quality through:

Clinical Audit: Regular review of assessments and outcomes

AI Output Verification: All AI-generated clinical summaries are labelled “AI-generated — please verify against full transcript” to ensure physiotherapists cross-reference before acting

Patient Feedback: Systematic collection and analysis of patient feedback

Incident Reporting: Robust system for reporting and learning from incidents

Complaints Analysis: All complaints are reviewed to identify improvement opportunities (see our Complaints Policy)

CPD: Ensuring all physiotherapists maintain their professional development

6. Evidence-Based Practice

Our rehabilitation programs are based on current evidence and best practice guidelines. We regularly review and update our protocols in line with the latest research and guidance from bodies such as NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

7. Data Security and Confidentiality

We take patient confidentiality seriously:

• – All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• – Hosting is on UK/EU-based servers (Vercel London, Upstash EU, Cliniko EU)
• – Assessment data is stored securely and transferred to our clinical management system (Cliniko) for physiotherapist review
• – No patient health data is included in email communications — only reference numbers and secure links
• – We comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
• – See our Privacy Policy and Data Protection Impact Assessment for full details

8. Professional Standards

All physiotherapists working with Physio From Home adhere to:

• – HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics
• – HCPC Standards of Proficiency for Physiotherapists
• – CSP Code of Members’ Professional Values and Behaviour (where applicable)
• – Our own internal policies and procedures

9. Continuous Improvement

We are committed to continuously improving our service. We regularly review patient outcomes, feedback, and complaints to identify areas for enhancement. Our AI system prompt and screening protocols are periodically reviewed and updated to improve accuracy and safety.

10. Transparency

We believe in transparency. We clearly inform patients that their initial assessment is conducted by AI and subsequently reviewed by a qualified physiotherapist. Patients are provided with a reference number and can request a copy of their assessment data at any time by contacting help@physiofromhome.com.

11. Contact

For clinical governance queries, please contact:

Email: help@physiofromhome.com

Website: www.physiofromhome.com