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...

(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.

She worked for 18 years 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)!

Dr Paige Copeland, MCSP

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Paige graduated from the University of Dayton, Ohio, United States of America in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Allied Health. She continued her education at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina where she received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2015.

Paige began her career as a full-time Physical Therapist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas where she gained extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of children with orthopaedic injuries, acute and chronic neuro-muscular impairments, genetic disorders, developmental delay, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Her rotations included paediatric out-patient and in-patient rehabilitation. During this time, Paige also served as the Lead Therapist for the Lung Transplants Programme.

At Texas Children’s Hospital, Paige was a member of the Acute Out-patient Rehabilitation Team, responsible for providing intensive physical therapy care to children presenting with acute and sub-acute medical conditions. She is passionate about continuing to provide intensive, goal-centred physiotherapy focused on maximizing each child’s functional independence when navigating home, school, and within the community.

Paige has taken post-graduate courses in neuro-development technique for the assessment and treatment of individuals with Cerebral Palsy and other allied neurological conditions. Paige has also completed post-graduate courses in the treatment and management of torticollis and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Paige moved to Leeds and joined Yorkshire Children’s Physiotherapy in September 2018. She will split her time between our various clinic locations but is also able to accommodate domiciliary and community appointments.

In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes and exploring new cities.

Penny Townsend, MCSP

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

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.

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 40 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 and Graduate programmes 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, Dance til Dawn, Barnum, Last Tango, Wedding Singer, Evita, Mamma Mia, Dreamboats and Petticoats, Cabaret, Tango Moderno and Calendar Girls. 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 still 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

Kat Sellers

Physiotherapy Assistant and Sports Massage Therapist (Leeds)

Acutely interested in human biology and kinesiology, and the balance between physical and mental health, Kat set the wheels in motion for a career change in 2016. Knowing that she would like to remain working directly with people and promote the benefits of an active lifestyle and time spent outdoors, she qualified as a Sports Massage Therapist in Spring 2018. She also returned to University in September 2018, to complete a 3-year BSc (Hons) degree in Physiotherapy.

Kat achieved a Merit in her ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy, which covered Anatomy and Physiology, Manual Therapy and Injury Rehabilitation, allowing her to assess and perform treatment for individual injuries. Injury rehabilitation, whether from sporting activity or lifestyle, really interests Kat and she seeks to promote injury prevention and healthy, active lifestyles wherever possible.

Kat is extremely passionate about the outdoors and is an active Kayaker, Canoeist, Climber and Hill Walker (for which her dog Kali is always in tow!). She hopes to train for her Mountain Leader Award in 2019. Kat complements the vigorous outdoor lifestyle by practising Pilates and yoga and is planning to complete her Pilates qualifications in the future. Any free time is spent reading or cooking.

Kat joined the PEAK team in July 2018 where she currently splits her role. She works as part of our specialist Adult Neuro-Physiotherapy (Yorkshire Neuro Physiotherapy) and Paediatric (Yorkshire Children’s Physiotherapy) teams, working within a community setting (land-based or hydrotherapy treatment sessions) as a Physiotherapy Assistant, when a vital second pair of hands is required. She also works as part of the PEAK Sports Massage team where she runs a busy clinic from our clinic in Leeds city centre.

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