PhysioDirect

Home-Visit Safety Guidelines

Last updated: 21 July 2026

Home-visit sessions booked through PhysioDirect take place in your home, under a treatment contract between you and the physiotherapist (PhysioDirect books the session and collects payment as the physiotherapist's disclosed agent). A home is not a clinic, so both sides share responsibility for making the session safe. These guidelines set out what each side can expect.

1. What we ask of patients

  • Provide a reasonably safe, clean space for the session — enough clear floor space to move and exercise in, reasonable lighting and ventilation, and a stable surface (bed, treatment area, or firm chair) where treatment is expected.
  • Secure pets in another room for the duration of the session.
  • Disclose known hazards before or at the start of the session — for example, slippery flooring, loose rugs, unstable furniture, ongoing renovation, or any household member who is unwell.
  • Sessions with a child or adolescent: a parent or guardian must consent to the booking, and a responsible adult must be present in the home for the entire session.
  • Chaperones: either the patient or the physiotherapist may request that a chaperone be present during the session, and such a request should be accommodated.

2. What physiotherapists may do

The physiotherapist is entitled to a safe working environment. They may pause or end a session — without this being treated as a cancellation on their part — where:

  • the premises are unsafe or unhygienic for treatment;
  • they experience threatening, abusive, or inappropriate behaviour from anyone present; or
  • the patient appears unwell in a way that goes beyond the scope of physiotherapy — in which case they will advise seeing a doctor, or calling 995 if the signs suggest an emergency (see Section 4).

3. Hygiene and equipment

  • Physiotherapists are expected to practise good hand hygiene, use clean linen or covers on treatment surfaces, and clean any equipment between patients.
  • The physiotherapist brings the professional equipment the session needs; the booking details will note anything you are asked to have ready (for example, a towel or a chair without armrests).
  • If you or anyone in the household has fever or symptoms of an infectious illness, tell the physiotherapist before the visit — rescheduling is usually the right answer, and our Cancellation & Refund Policy explains how that works.

4. Emergency red flags — stop and call 995

Physiotherapy is not emergency care. If any of the following occurs before or during a session, the session should stop and you should call 995:

  • Sudden severe chest pain or breathlessness.
  • A suspected fracture after a fall.
  • New loss of bladder or bowel control, or new numbness in the saddle area (inner thighs, buttocks, genitals).
  • Post-operative wound complications, such as a wound opening, or spreading redness, discharge, or fever.

5. Booking off-platform

If a physiotherapist was introduced to you through PhysioDirect, booking further sessions with them off-platform within 6 months of that introduction is subject to the referral terms in our Terms of Use. Booking through the Platform also keeps your payment protection and this safety framework in place.

6. Liability

These guidelines allocate practical responsibilities; they do not exclude anything that cannot lawfully be excluded. In particular, nothing on this page excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by PhysioDirect's own negligence, for fraud, or any rights you have under law that cannot be excluded.