Inclusive Teamwork Award Finalist: (MOD)

My name is Emily Taylor, I am a Band 6 Physiotherapist based at HMS Nelson PCRF. I have been involved in The Female Through Life Rehabilitation and Reconditioning Project from the very beginning a few years ago, when it was initially solely a rehabilitation project to enhance the experience of Servicewomen during and after their childbearing years. It quickly became apparent that the project needed more than a rehabilitation arm and so tri-service Medical and PT Cadres were drawn in and for the past 2+ years we have worked closely together as one team.

We had a single vision - to develop a service to advise, support and rehabilitate Servicewomen during and after pregnancy and into later life, with a focus on their specific needs as a specialist population within the Armed Forces.

I am so pleased and excited that we have been nominated for the Inclusive Teamwork Award at the Women in Defence Awards 2020. We have all worked so hard to get to this point and have overcome so many hurdles as team - involving multiple disciplines and across all three services. I feel incredibly proud of our achievements thus far and to have been selected as a finalist is a fantastic recognition of the dedication and tenacity our team has shown.

The Female Through Life Rehabilitation and Reconditioning Project now has 20 Physiotherapists trained in specialist Women’s Health assessment and treatment, as well as a bespoke training package for all PCRFs in the management of antenatal and postnatal Servicewomen. PTIs and ERIs have new guidelines and additional training as part of their standard course, regarding safe exercise for perinatal servicewomen and Doctors have new guidance on appropriate referral pathways for Servicewomen in the perinatal period and beyond.

Best Practice Guidelines have also been developed by the team, in support of this project, to streamline the service provided and to ensure that all female service personnel have appropriate access to evidence based care when they most need it and can continue to enjoy a fulfilling and successful career within their chosen service.