The short answer
- Ask the GP, or the hospital before dischargeThe NHS says a physiotherapist may visit at home if your parent cannot get to a clinic. Some areas also let you refer yourself, and it varies by area.
- The physiotherapist sets the planHow many visits there are and which exercises your parent does are decided by the physiotherapist after assessing them. Ask for the exercises in writing.
- A private physiotherapist must be on the HCPC registerPhysiotherapist is a title protected by law. Check the register, and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy lists physios who do home visits.
- The days between visits are where family and a carer helpPrompting, encouraging and walking alongside, following the written plan exactly and never adding exercises to it.
Clinical points come from the NHS, NICE guideline NG249 on falls and NHS trust leaflets, linked where they appear. Carers on PrimeCarers charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included. They are not physiotherapists.
Getting NHS physio
How to get NHS physiotherapy at home
NHS physiotherapy is free, and the NHS says that if a condition stops somebody getting to their GP surgery or local hospital, a physiotherapist may be able to visit them at home. How you get a referral depends on where your parent is starting from and on the local service.
Before leaving hospital
After an operation, a fall or an illness
Through the GP
At any time
Referring yourself
Where the local service allows it
After a fall
The falls service
The NHS page on getting physiotherapy says that in many areas you may be able to use NHS community physiotherapy services without a GP referral, that some GP surgeries have physiotherapists of their own, and that there may be a long waiting list. Home visiting services are run locally, and they are set up differently from one area to the next. In East Berkshire, for example, the community physiotherapy service is for people who are housebound and takes referrals from a GP or healthcare professional only, while the neighbourhood rehabilitation service run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust accepts a referral from anyone for a mobility assessment. The quickest way to find out is to ask the GP surgery which service covers your parent's address and how it takes referrals.
If your parent is coming out of hospital, physiotherapy at home may be part of a wider package. Reablement, the free six weeks after a hospital stay explains how that service works, and hospital discharge explained covers the process on the ward. After a stroke, therapy comes from a specialist team, and rehab at home after a stroke is the page for that. With Parkinson's, NICE says to consider physiotherapy from someone with experience of the condition, and exercise and physio at home with Parkinson's covers how to be referred and how to time the sessions. After a broken hip, hip fracture recovery at home goes through the weeks after surgery. For the wider picture of staying steady on the feet, start with the mobility and falls care guide.
The home visits
What happens when the physiotherapist comes to the house
NHS services describe the same broad pattern. There is an assessment at home, then goals agreed with your parent and exercises to do between visits, and the service ends when the goals are met. The NHS says the physiotherapist will advise on how many sessions somebody may need.
- 1
The first visit is an assessment
At homeThe physiotherapist asks about your parent's health, medicines and what they want to be able to do, and looks at how they move, stand and walk in their own home. In East Berkshire the service says this takes around an hour and that a family member or friend can be there. - 2
Goals and a written programme
Agreed with your parentThe goals should be things that matter to your parent, such as getting to the toilet alone or walking to the front gate. Ask for the exercises on paper, with how many, how often and what help your parent should have. - 3
Follow-up visits
As the physiotherapist setsThe physiotherapist comes back to check progress and change the exercises when they are ready to change. Some services describe support of up to six weeks, and others do not give a length. - 4
Discharge from the service
When the goals are metMedway Community Healthcare says patients are discharged when they have achieved their goals or when the physiotherapist recognises that physiotherapy is no longer helping. Ask what should carry on afterwards.
The step that matters most for the family is the written programme. Medway Community Healthcare says patients will usually be given a programme to complete themselves between visits, and that it should help speed up recovery. That means the physiotherapist is in the house for a small part of the week and the exercises are meant to be done on the other days. If your parent is forgetful, tired or low, those other days are where things slip, and it helps to plan who will be there for them before the first visit ends.
Be there for the first visit if you can. Tell the physiotherapist what your parent's days look like, what has changed recently and who else is involved, including a carer if there is one. Ask whether the physiotherapist is happy for a carer or family member to help with the exercises, and what that help should be. If your parent may need equipment such as a raised chair or rails, ask whether an occupational therapist should see them as well; NICE suggests an occupational therapist for a home hazard assessment. The right equipment to aid the elderly explains the options.
Strength and balance
Strength and balance programmes, and what the guidance says about them
Where the physiotherapy is about falls or getting weaker, NICE says an exercise programme should focus on things such as balance, coordination, strength and power. The NHS and NICE describe this work in plain terms, and both are worth reading before you ask for a referral.
| What it is | How to get it | What the guidance says | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength and balance activity | Gentle exercises done near a wall or a stable chair, built up slowly | NHS routines online, or exercises a physiotherapist gives | The NHS recommends activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week |
| A falls prevention exercise programme | A course of exercises tailored to the person and made harder as they improve | Through a falls service, the GP or a community physiotherapist | NICE says it should be delivered by trained professionals, be progressive and tailored, and include regular progress reviews |
| A falls assessment | A look at muscle weakness, bones, eyesight, medicines and the home | Ask the GP, or refer yourself where the local falls service allows it | The NHS says a falls service may include strength and balance training and checking the home is safe |
Strength and balance activity
- What it is
- Gentle exercises done near a wall or a stable chair, built up slowly
- How to get it
- NHS routines online, or exercises a physiotherapist gives
- What the guidance says
- The NHS recommends activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week
A falls prevention exercise programme
- What it is
- A course of exercises tailored to the person and made harder as they improve
- How to get it
- Through a falls service, the GP or a community physiotherapist
- What the guidance says
- NICE says it should be delivered by trained professionals, be progressive and tailored, and include regular progress reviews
A falls assessment
- What it is
- A look at muscle weakness, bones, eyesight, medicines and the home
- How to get it
- Ask the GP, or refer yourself where the local falls service allows it
- What the guidance says
- The NHS says a falls service may include strength and balance training and checking the home is safe
From the NHS physical activity guidelines for older adults, the NHS page on falls, and NICE guideline NG249, Falls: assessment and prevention in older people and in people 50 and over at higher risk (April 2025).
NICE guideline NG249 says people who have fallen in the last year and have a problem with their walking or balance should be offered a falls prevention exercise programme. It also asks services to encourage people to keep taking part, including by addressing their doubts that they can do the exercises and their concerns about falling, and it asks professionals to involve the person's family and carers when they talk about reducing the risk of falls. That is a good reason to go to appointments with your parent and ask what you can do to help.
The NHS has strength exercises and balance exercises with pictures, and its physical activity guidelines for older adults say to speak to a GP first if somebody has not exercised for some time or has medical conditions or concerns. If a physiotherapist has given your parent a programme, the programme comes first and the general routines should only be added if the physiotherapist agrees. Age UK has advice on falls prevention and may know of classes nearby. Our guides to exercise for older people, how to build strength at 80 and fear of falling go further into the exercise itself and the confidence that goes with it.
Private physio
Finding a registered private physiotherapist who visits at home
Some families pay for a private physiotherapist, to avoid a wait, to get more visits than the NHS service offers, or to keep going after the NHS service has ended. The checks before you book are straightforward.
Before you book a private physiotherapist
0 of 6 ticked
Check who they are
Ask before the first visit
The HCPC register is the check that matters, because the HCPC protects the titles physiotherapist and physical therapist by law and investigates people who use them without being registered. To find somebody near your parent, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy runs Physio2u, a search of chartered physiotherapists by postcode, and its find a physiotherapist page explains the other listings.
Private physiotherapy does not replace NHS care, and your parent can have both. If there is already an NHS physiotherapist involved, tell them what you have arranged. A private physiotherapist can also be a way to keep progress going once the NHS visits end, by coming occasionally to check and update the programme while the day-to-day exercises carry on at home.
Between the visits
Keeping the exercises going on the days the physiotherapist is not there
The physiotherapist is in the house for a small part of the week. The rest of the week belongs to your parent and whoever is with them, and this is where family and a carer can make the biggest difference. The grid shows an example week.
The physiotherapist
Assesses, sets the exercises and writes them down, and is the only person who changes them.
A carer or the family
Prompts at the agreed time, encourages, stays alongside for the walking and writes down how it went.
Your parent
Does the exercises on the sheet, and says when something hurts or feels wrong.
Mon
Visit and exercises
The exercises on the sheet, at the time the physio set
Walking
The walk the physio set, with someone alongside
Who is there
A carer, who writes down what was done and how it felt
Tue
Visit and exercises
Physio visit: checks progress against the goals and changes the sheet if it needs changing
Done with the physio, who shows any new exercise
Walking
As the physio advises on the day
Who is there
Family, there for the visit to ask for any change in writing
Wed
Visit and exercises
The exercises on the sheet, including anything new from Tuesday
Walking
The walk the physio set, with someone alongside
Who is there
A carer, who writes down what was done and how it felt
Thu
Visit and exercises
The exercises on the sheet, at the time the physio set
Walking
The walk the physio set, with someone alongside
Who is there
Family, who add to the same notes
Fri
Visit and exercises
The exercises on the sheet, at the time the physio set
Walking
The walk the physio set, with someone alongside
Who is there
A carer, who writes down what was done and how it felt
Sat
Visit and exercises
The exercises on the sheet, at the time the physio set
Walking
A walk to somewhere they want to go, if the physio has said it is safe
Who is there
Family, who add to the same notes
Sun
Visit and exercises
Only if the sheet includes Sunday
Walking
Only if the sheet includes Sunday
Who is there
Family, who read back through the week before the next visit
An example only. How often the physiotherapist visits, which exercises are on the sheet and on which days all come from the physiotherapist's plan for your parent. The rows show one way of sharing the week, and any mix works if somebody is there at the times the plan sets.
Helping with the exercises means prompting your parent so they happen at the time the physiotherapist set, and encouraging them on the days they are tired or do not see the point. On the walks the plan includes, the helper stays alongside and within reach. Afterwards they write down what was done and how it felt, so the physiotherapist has something to go on at the next visit.
It does not mean changing the plan. The South Tees falls programme asks people to complete only the exercises their physiotherapist has ticked, because those are specific to them. Follow the written sheet exactly: the same exercises, the same number of repetitions and the same support. Do not add exercises from the internet or from another relative's sheet, and do not make one harder because it looks easy. If something seems too easy or too hard, write it down and ask the physiotherapist.
If nobody in the family can be there on enough days, a carer can take some of them. Visits on PrimeCarers are booked by the hour, and an hour gives time for the exercises and a short walk, with time left for breakfast or getting ready if the plan allows. Hourly care after a hospital stay describes what those visits look like, and writing a care plan together explains how to put the physiotherapist's sheet into the carer's instructions. When you are ready, you can search for carers near your parent and compare their rates.
Checking progress
How to tell if the physiotherapy is helping, and when to go back
Progress after an illness or a fall is slow and uneven, so it is easier to judge over weeks than day by day. The notes kept between visits are the best record you have. These are the things to watch for, and who to ask.
| What you notice | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting better | The goals set at the first visit are getting closer, for example walking further, standing up more easily or needing less help | Keep going with the written plan and tell the physiotherapist at the next visit. They decide when to make the exercises harder |
| Staying the same | Several weeks with no change, or your parent finding the exercises pointless | Show the physiotherapist the notes and ask whether the goals or the programme should change |
| Pain or struggling | An exercise hurts, your parent cannot do it the way it was shown, or they are more tired than usual | Stop that exercise and ring the physiotherapist or the service before the next session |
| A warning sign | Chest pain, dizziness or severe breathlessness during the exercises | Stop at once. Ring 111 or the GP, or 999 in an emergency |
| A fall | Any fall, even one that seemed to do no harm | Tell the GP and the physiotherapist. Ring 999 if your parent may have hurt their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up |
| The service has ended | Discharged, and your parent starts to slip back | Ask the GP about a new referral, or the falls service, or consider a private physiotherapist |
Getting better
- What you notice
- The goals set at the first visit are getting closer, for example walking further, standing up more easily or needing less help
- What to do
- Keep going with the written plan and tell the physiotherapist at the next visit. They decide when to make the exercises harder
Staying the same
- What you notice
- Several weeks with no change, or your parent finding the exercises pointless
- What to do
- Show the physiotherapist the notes and ask whether the goals or the programme should change
Pain or struggling
- What you notice
- An exercise hurts, your parent cannot do it the way it was shown, or they are more tired than usual
- What to do
- Stop that exercise and ring the physiotherapist or the service before the next session
A warning sign
- What you notice
- Chest pain, dizziness or severe breathlessness during the exercises
- What to do
- Stop at once. Ring 111 or the GP, or 999 in an emergency
A fall
- What you notice
- Any fall, even one that seemed to do no harm
- What to do
- Tell the GP and the physiotherapist. Ring 999 if your parent may have hurt their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up
The service has ended
- What you notice
- Discharged, and your parent starts to slip back
- What to do
- Ask the GP about a new referral, or the falls service, or consider a private physiotherapist
Warning signs from the home exercise leaflets of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust. Fall advice from the NHS page on falls.
The Kingston and Richmond falls prevention leaflet says to stop exercising immediately if there is chest pain, dizziness or severe shortness of breath, and to call NHS 111, the GP or 999 in an emergency. The NHS page on falls says to call 999 if somebody has fallen and may have injured their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up, and to see a GP if you are worried about balance or mobility. After a fall: the checklist covers the days that follow.
When the physiotherapy ends, ask the physiotherapist what your parent should keep doing, how often, and for how long. NICE says falls prevention programmes should be delivered in a way that brings about lasting changes in how active somebody is, so the aim is for some of the exercise to carry on after the visits stop. If your parent is managing but less steady than before, a walking aid chosen and set by a professional or a look at stairs, stairlifts and moving downstairs may help. If day-to-day tasks have become hard, the council's care needs assessment is free to ask for.
Questions
Questions families ask about physio at home
Possibly. The NHS says that if a condition stops somebody getting to their GP surgery or local hospital, a physiotherapist may be able to visit them at home. Ask the GP, or the ward before she leaves hospital, for a referral to the community physiotherapy service. Some areas let you refer yourself, and it varies by area, so ask the GP surgery how the local service works.
There is no set number. The NHS says the physiotherapist will advise on the number of sessions somebody may need, and local services work differently: some describe support of up to six weeks. The physiotherapist sets the plan after assessing your dad, and changes it as he improves. Ask at the first visit how often they expect to come and what happens when the visits end.
A carer can prompt your parent to do the exercises the physiotherapist has set, encourage them, stay alongside for the walking and write down how it went. A carer cannot assess your parent, change or add exercises, or decide that one has become too easy. Carers on PrimeCarers are not physiotherapists, and we do not check training or qualifications, so show the carer the written plan and ask whether they are comfortable helping with it.
Search for them on the HCPC register. Physiotherapist is a title protected by law, and anybody using it must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. The NHS also advises choosing a physiotherapist who is chartered, with MCSP after their name. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's Physio2u search lets you look for chartered physiotherapists who do home visits.
We do not publish prices for private physiotherapy, and physiotherapists set their own. Ask what a home visit costs, whether travel is charged, and how many visits they expect before you agree to a course. NHS physiotherapy is free, so it is worth asking the GP about a referral as well.
Tell the physiotherapist, because the plan may need to change. NICE asks services to address doubts people have about whether they can do the exercises and any worry about falling, and to agree with the person what they are willing and able to do. A goal that matters to your parent, such as getting to the shop or the garden, gives the exercises a purpose they can see. Fear of falling explains how worry can hold somebody back.