Physiotherapists

Ben Farrelly

• Whilst studying for his BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, Ben developed an interest for Physiotherapy. He pursued this interest, successfully completing his Masters Degree in Physiotherapy at Leeds Metropolitan University.
• Throughout his training, Ben has involved himself in numerous extra-curricular activities such as working for local sports teams and volunteering for parent-support groups. He particularly enjoyed his elective placement in Hong Kong where he was fortunate to work with national sports teams and was involved with east vs west concepts of rehabilitation.
• Upon completion of his physiotherapy degree, Ben undertook his first post working in a private hospital in Penang, Malaysia. He found this to be an enlightening experience and thoroughly enjoyed working with people from diverse cultures/backgrounds.
• Prior to securing his post at Metro Physio, Ben gained further valuable experience working in a musculoskeletal clinic for Wirral PCT. Ben is always looking to professionally develop himself, completing a variety of postgraduate courses including Orthopaedic Medicine and Acupuncture.
• Ben has a special interest in Sports related injuries and acupuncture and has worked with numerous elite athletes and teams . As well as being an avid sports fan, he plays competitive football and is a keen runner.

Claire Judd

• After graduating from Salford University in 2002 Claire was keen to pursue a career in professional sport. She had spent a four week placement at Stoke City FC for six weeks and they were so impressed with her skills that she was offered a position within the Academy where she spent her first three years. During this time she developed skills in injury prevention and rehabilitation and was offered a full time position with the first team at Burnley FC. This has provided Claire with an exciting number of opportunities including pre-season trips to Austria and Italy and she also had the opportunity to be part of the medical staff at an England men’s game played at Turf Moor. Claire was also involved in making a TV documentary on cruciate ligament injuries in football, which was screened on ITV in 2007.
• After spending six years in professional sport Claire decided it was time for a change in direction and became a full-time member at Metro Physio. This has enabled her to develop her skills in Occupational Health and Claire has attended a number of courses on ergonomics. This has enabled her to develop her skills as an ergonomic assessor and she has provided workshops for businesses delivering courses on manual handling training and health and safety issues to numerous corporations including the Trafford Centre and PZ Cussons.
• Claire has a keen interest in injury prevention in musicians and works on site at Chethams’ School of Music. She works very closely with the medical team, parents and music departments to ensure that the student is looked after at every stage of their recovery.

Ed Walsh

• Ed originally qualified with a BSc (Hons) Degree in Sports Rehabilitation from University of Salford in 2003. Whilst completing his studies at Salford, Ed played competitive basketball for the University, as well as volunteering with the Manchester Giants and Manchester Magic Basketball Teams. Once completing his studies, Ed took on the role as club therapist for the Manchester Magic, which he continued until 2011. Since September 2012, Ed has worked as the Team Physiotherapist for the Manchester Giants, after they reformed following their 10 year absence.
• In 2008, Ed was appointed the Team Therapist for the Manchester Amputee Football team and travelled with the team to Russia for the World Amputee Football Championships. The Following year, Ed travelled to Macedonia with Great Britain U20 Women’s Basketball Team for the European Championships
• For the past 7 years, Ed has also worked as a private practitioner in Manchester and Bolton, gaining a wealth of experience treating injuries from Racquet Sports, Running, Triathlons and Swimming, at elite and amateur level.
• As well as treating a wide range of sports injuries, Ed has gained a wealth of experience in treating Whiplash, Various Spinal Problems and occupational health related injuries.
• In 2011, Ed completed his Postgraduate training in Physiotherapy from the University of Huddersfield, allowing him to become a registered Physiotherapist and Member of the Health Professions council.
• For the past year, Ed has been the proudest dad of his beautiful little girl Molly, who is keeping him active every day.

Jessie Marfell

• Upon completion of her BSc (Hons) degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Liverpool in 2010, Jessie started her career by volunteering for the Neuromuscular centre in Cheshire, where she developed her manual skills and improved her ability in providing manual therapy to people with neuromuscular conditions. Alongside this Jessie also gained some experience by assisting in weekly hydrotherapy sessions for a private physiotherapy clinic. ollowing this, she further enhanced her physiotherapy experience by volunteering as a physiotherapist in Tanzania for 6 weeks for the children’s charity; the Amani centre.
• On returning to the UK, she then obtained a physiotherapy post working for East Lancashire NHS trust where she completed a full rotation in physiotherapy Outpatients. Since then Jessie has also worked as a community physiotherapist for Ashton, Leigh and Wigan community NHS trust; after which she obtained a junior rotational post working as a physiotherapist within University Hospital Aintree NHS trust.
• Jessie has always had a passion for musculoskeletal physiotherapy so welcomed the opportunity to work with Metro Physio as a part time physiotherapist alongside her full time job at Aintree hospital. Being a motivated and enthusiastic individual, Jessie hopes to continue to improve her skills as a clinician and further enhance her practice in the musculoskeletal speciality. She has attended a few post-graduate day courses and hopes to continue her professional development by attending further courses in the future.
• Jessie holds a registration with Chartered Society of Physiotherapists as well as being a member of the Health Professions Council.
• Outside physiotherapy, Jessie is an avid squash player and has a keen interest in travel.

Jo Fawcett

• Jo Fawcett qualified with a First Class BSc Honours Degree in Physiotherapy from The University of Salford in 2002. On graduation she commenced full time work within the NHS before joining the team at Metro Physio in 2004.
• Jo is a state registered Physiotherapist, being a member of the Health Professions Council and Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. She has completed her Acupuncture training which is accredited by the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, as well as achieving a Diploma in Orthopaedic Medicine and Injection Therapy making her qualified to administer Corticosteroid injections.
• Jo plays an active role in her continuing professional development by being a member of ACPOMIT (Association for Chartered Physiotherapists with an interest in Orthopaedic Medicine), enabling her to keep up to date with relevant advances. She also the leads in-service training programme within the company and attends external training courses relevant to her musculoskeletal background. Jo is currently undergoing a MSc in Trauma and Orthopaedics at The University of Salford.
• Outside of Metro Physio, Jo works as an Extended Scope Practitioner within the Orthopaedic clinics in the NHS with a special interest in knees and shoulders.
• Previous to this Jo trained in most aspects of dance, and over the years has taught, choreographed and performed in dance troops involved in sporting events.

John Fairclough

• John’s interest in physiotherapy developed whilst studying for his BSc Honours degree in Sports and Exercise Science. He went on to gain his Master’s degree in Physiotherapy from Leeds Metropolitan University in March 2007.
• As a physiotherapist, John has worked within a number of sporting environments, ranging from amateur football to professional rugby clubs. Since working for Metro Physio, John has found treating both sporting and occupational injuries alike to be highly rewarding. His knowledge of assessment, diagnosis and treatment ensures the best patient care for both sporting and non-sporting injuries.
• As a proactive clinician, John is constantly seeking to expand his knowledge and treatment base within physiotherapy. In 2008 following extensive study and rigorous examination, John successfully gained accreditation to the Society of Orthopaedic Medicine and also became a certified Acupuncturist. John regularly attends courses and lectures on the best management of musculoskeletal injuries recently including; The Mulligan Concept, Spinal Manipulative Therapy, Trigger Point Release and Mobilisation of The Nervous System.
• At Metro Physio John has a special interest within the field of Occupational Health. He is a full member of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomic and has attended numerous courses provided by the association. He has used his skills to develop and implement a variety of services at Metro including, Work Capability Assessment and Work Hardening Functional Restoration programmes.
• In his spare time, John enjoys playing cricket, football, snooker and golf. He is a 2nd dan black belt in Shukokai Karate and is a keen guitarist.

Lucy Eccleston

• After graduating from the University of Huddersfield, Lucy was keen to pursue a career in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. Prior to graduating Lucy had worked part time for Halifax rugby club and completed her final 3 months in Denmark understanding the different healthcare structures and rehabilitating elite handball players.
• Lucy started her career in London for a private practice working alongside consultants, GP`s and other health professions in a post operative and musculoskeletal setting.
• Having a dancing background Lucy has a passion for Pilates and became qualified with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute including Ante natal and Post natal Pilates, Matwork Pilates and equipment Pilates. Since graduating Lucy has had the privilege to teach Pilates to Linford Christies Athletes at Brunel University.
• Lucy is a state registered Physiotherapist, being a member of the Health Professions Council and Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. She has completed her Acupuncture training which is accredited by the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists.

Natasha Roberts

• Natasha’s interest in physiotherapy stemmed from her time as an elite gymnast when she underwent physio treatments on a regular basis and therefore knows firsthand what it’s like to be a patient overcoming injury.
• Since retiring from gymnastics Natasha went on to graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University with an Honours degree and has been working full time within the NHS since 2009.
• Having completed rotations within a broad range of physiotherapy specialties including musculoskeletal, orthopaedics, neurological rehab and acute respiratory care Natasha has been able to refine her manual therapy skills and clinical knowledge base to an excellent standard.
• Natasha has completed numerous post graduate courses including Pilates, shoulder instability, knee rehabilitation and many others.
• Although Natasha continues to work for the NHS her real passion has always been Musculoskeletal physiotherapy and so is very excited at becoming a member of the Metro Physio Team where she can use the knowledge and skills she has learnt on her post graduate courses.

Nicola Lomax

• Nicola qualified from the University of Salford in 2004 with a First Class BSc Honours Degree in Physiotherapy. She started her career as a Physiotherapist working in the NHS; initially as a community based Physiotherapist at Ashton, Wigan and Leigh Primary Care Trust before moving to the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital Trust, where she gained invaluable experience working alongside other health professionals in a variety of setting including Acute Trauma and Orthopedics, Post-operative Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal Outpatients.

• Nicola joined the team at Metro Health & Wellbeing in 2007 where she specialises in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of neuro musculoskeletal injuries. She has a sports background and has a keen interest in Athletics as a qualified field events coach and ex-athlete. She provided the Physiotherapy service on behalf of Metro Physio for the Merseyside team at the English Schools to assist the athletes in competing at their optimum level and has also worked in various rugby and football clubs providing Physiotherapy and Pitch Side Assistance. She has an in-depth knowledge of racquet-sports related injuries as she plays badminton and squash regularly. She worked with the female British Gymnasts in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics and also provides treatment for several elite amateur swimmers.

• Nicola is a state registered Physiotherapist as a member of the Health Professions Council and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. She is also qualified to practice Acupuncture and is a member of the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists. She has undertaken an extensive amount of postgraduate training including a Diploma in Orthopaedic Medicine, Pilates, Manipulative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Ergonomics, and is currently in the process of doing a Masters degree at the University of Salford. In addition to her clinical work as a Physiotherapist she also carries out on-site ergonomic assessments and health and safety training for several companies.

 Rob Wood

•  Robert qualified from Sheffield Hallam University in 2009, following his graduation Robert started his career working as a rotational physiotherapist at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire. During this time Robert gained significant experience working in orthopaedics, post op rehabilitation and outpatients.
• Robert has a special interest in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and sports injuries. This led him to gain further experience working evening and weekends in private practice in addition to working for local football/rugby teams helping players recover from injury and providing pitch side assistance.
• Robert has undertaken post graduate training in Acupuncture and Spinal Manipulation; he is registered with the Healthcare Professions Council, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists.
• After spending 6 years away, studying and working Robert moved back home to Manchester where he joined the team at Metro Health and Wellbeing. In his spare time he is a keen football fan and enjoys weight lifting.

Yasir Bashir

• Starting from a young age Yasir strived to pursue a career in physiotherapy. Motivated and keen to help others, he graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a BSc Honours in Physiotherapy. He is a Chartered Physiotherapist and is a registered member of the Health Professional Council.
• Yasir went on to pursue and gain experience in his specialist area of interest, musculoskeletal and sports injuries through attending courses and seminars. He has worked at major endurance events within the UK and county level football teams such as Liverpool county F.A; offering pitch side assistance and helping players recover from injury.
• On graduating, Yasir had also secured a full-time junior rotational physiotherapy post within Aintree University Hospital. He has gained experience in both inpatient and outpatient departments. To amplify his experience and clinical knowledge base in his area of interest, he welcomed the opportunity to work part-time at Metro Physio. He aims to continue to strive and provide the best possible treatments for his patients through grasping every opportunity to professionally develop in a variety of settings.

• Outside of physiotherapy, Sports plays an important role in Yasir’s life. As well as keeping shape in the gym, he enjoys playing competitive football amongst other sports.