Our Team

Sarah Joice became Clinical Director of PEAK Physiotherapy Limited in November 2005. All of the physiotherapists here at Yorkshire Children's Physiotherapy are personally recruited and carefully selected based upon their knowledge, experience and personal attributes.

Here is our team...

Sarah Joice, MCSP

Clinical Director & Specialist Physiotherapist

Sarah graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1998 with a First Class Honours degree in Physiotherapy. After qualifying, she worked within the NHS at Leeds General Infirmary, specialising in musculoskeletal disorders with a particular interest in dance injuries.

Sarah has developed a renowned, Specialist Physiotherapy Service for dancers within the Yorkshire region. More than 35 years of practical dance experience (to RAD Solo Seal standard) has enabled her to combine her love of dance with her physiotherapy career. She specialises in all manner of dance-related conditions, working with all ages and levels from recreational dancers to dance Scholars and Company Dancers. She has provided a screening service for musculoskeletal disorders at dance auditions previously involving the Yorkshire Ballet Scholarship Centre in York, and Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds.

Previous clients have included the Phoenix Dance Theatre (Leeds), and full-time dance students from regional schools, such as Hammond (Chester), The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Leeds), Elmhurst (Birmingham), Tring Park (Hertfordshire) and Northern Ballet School (Manchester). Sarah also works with young dancers on the Associate programme at Northern Ballet Theatre (Leeds) and regularly treats professional performers when touring to The Grand Theatre, including cast members from Ghost, Phantom of the Opera, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Dance til Dawn. Sarah is also listed on the Dance UK Dance Practitioner Register.

Sarah became Clinical Director at PEAK Physiotherapy Limited, Yorkshire Neuro Physiotherapy and Yorkshire Children’s Physiotherapy in 2005 and combines her clinical caseload with business management and development. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys all forms of dancing, and is an active member of local theatre company Brassneck. She also enjoys walking, travelling to far off lands and trips to the theatre.

 

"As a dancer myself, I understand just how frustrating an injury can be, and how important it is to make a speedy recovery but a safe return to class and performing. My experience allows me to speak the ‘language’ a dancer understands, which I find effectively breaks down the barriers that appear to exist all too often within the medical profession. I am passionate about my work, particularly with young dancers, and I am delighted to be able to help with both the physical and emotional side of injury management, supporting both the dancer and their family throughout the recovery process."

Sarah Joice

(Gillian) Kay Webb, MCSP

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Kay graduated from the Nottingham School of Physiotherapy in 1987 with a Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy, and soon discovered a passion for the specialist field of neurology and for treating children.  Initially she worked in special care baby units and on acute children’s wards in the UK and in Australia, but then discovered children’s community physiotherapy and has worked in this area since 1992.  This has involved working in schools, nurseries, children’s own homes and child development centres in London, South Shields and twice in Leeds.

For the last 18 years, she has worked for the Leeds Community Healthcare Trust as a Senior Physiotherapist and then as a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Paediatrics, until being made redundant in 2014.  Her work concentrated on treating pre-school children with long term neurological disabilities and on developing a multidisciplinary postural care pathway for children and young adults with more severe problems.  She has done a lot of further study into the area of postural care, but also in hydrotherapy and rebound therapy.

Kay has been lucky enough to complete the full Paediatric Bobath Course and the Advanced Early Intervention Bobath Course at the London Bobath Centre, which has given her a great foundation in the assessment and treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy and similar conditions. She is also a member of the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (APCP).

In 2014 she started a Master’s degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy, and so now also provides physiotherapy for animals as well as continuing to work with children and young adults as an independent Physiotherapist. She lives in the Ilkley area with her husband, two teenage children and dog.  In her spare time she enjoys dog training and getting out into our beautiful countryside for walks (and scones)!

Brian Wright-Turner, MCSP

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Brian graduated from London South Bank University in 2013 with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy having previously completed a BSc in Sports Science in 2004 from London Metropolitan University. Prior to qualifying as a Physiotherapist, Brian had worked for 6 years as a Physiotherapy Assistant as part of a paediatric multi-disciplinary team in North London, where he was based primarily within special and mainstream schools. Here he gained invaluable hands-on experience working with the physiotherapy team to provide specialist therapy programmes, equipment, orthotics, postural management and both land-based and hydrotherapy treatment. He also worked with the occupational therapy and speech therapy teams, which helped to consolidate his experience and further develop the holistic approach to his clients that he implements today.

After graduating, Brian remained in London working at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where he undertook a number of specialist neurological rotations, then decided to move fully into the field of paediatrics. His experience has included acute and chronic conditions within both neurological and musculoskeletal fields, including neurosurgery and PICU (paediatric intensive care). In 2016, Brian relocated to Yorkshire where he initially worked as a locum before joining the team at Yorkshire Children’s Physiotherapy in 2017.

In addition to a number of post-graduate physiotherapy training courses, Brian has completed the Rescue Test for Supervisors of Disabled Swimmers (with the Royal Life Saving Society) and is also competent in using Makaton sign (levels 1-4) and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). He has found this particularly useful when working/communicating with his hearing impaired and autistic clients.

Brian works both within a clinic setting and in the community (including hydrotherapy) seeing a varied paediatric caseload (musculoskeletal and neuro-developmental conditions). Outside of work, he is enjoying discovering the challenges the Yorkshire countryside has to offer, getting out on his bike whenever he can!

Penny Townsend, MCSP

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist and Moving and Handling Specialist Advisor

Penny graduated from Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1990 with a Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy. She specialised into the field of paediatric physiotherapy in 1993 and has since worked both within the NHS (as a Superintendent Paediatric Physiotherapist) and privately, treating children and young adults with a range of disabilities. She is a qualified Paediatric Bobath therapist (achieved 2001) and a member of the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (APCP).

She is also a Specialist Moving and Handling Adviser, achieving NBE’s Manual Handling Advanced Member status in 2009. Penny currently presents at National and International Conferences on moving and handling children with neuro-disabilities. She has had a number of articles published on the subject in the journal Column, the moving and handling publication of the National Back Exchange (NBE), SEN magazine and Education for Everybody.

Penny works with the team at Yorkshire Children’s Physiotherapy, providing bespoke moving and handling training packages for families, designed to meet the individual needs of the clients within their own homes. She can also provide comprehensive risk assessment handling plans to reflect the needs of the client and carers, as well as bespoke study days for multi-disciplinary professionals about paediatric manual handling issues and challenging behaviour.

She has an in-depth wealth of knowledge of moving and handling equipment and adaptations which enables her to meet the needs of the clients and to ensure their safety and that of their carers. Penny also looks at how such equipment can be used to facilitate and support the child’s therapy programmes, in order to promote as much independence as possible.

In her spare time she enjoys running and pottering in her greenhouse.

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All of the services at PEAK Physiotherapy are supported by full professional accreditation, membership and qualification.