NTIMS is a service that can help people manage problems relating to their muscles, bones, nerves and joints (sometimes called musculoskeletal problems). We aim to help people be as physically active as possible.
Our service includes a range of physiotherapists and specialist clinicians. They provide a complete assessment and treatment service to help you manage your musculoskeletal problems.
Our mission statement:
Empowering the community to improve their physical health and wellbeing by making positive lifestyle choices.
How do I get an appointment to see you?
There are a number of ways you can gain access to our service. You may be referred by another healthcare professional to the service. This is usually your First Contact practitioner, GP or nurse practitioner. You may be referred from another hospital service on occasions. You may choose to self-refer into the service via this link. Please follow the self-care guidance via the link at the side of this page.
If you are not a patient of the NTIMS service, you may find it useful to read our self-care guidance before contacting your GP or self-referring. If you have any questions regarding current waiting times for the service, please contact us on
Those who are referred will be triaged by one of our specialist practitioners. They will then decide where you are most likely to receive the best management for your problems. An appointment will be made with the correct person. You may be offered a telephone, video or face-to-face appointment based on your clinical needs and preferences.
What can I expect at my first appointment
Your first appointment will be an assessment of your musculoskeletal problem. Depending on the nature of your appointment, this will vary slightly. You will always have a conversation with your practitioner to explore your problems and to understand what difficulties you are having. If you are seen face-to-face, you may also have a physical assessment. This is not always necessary. For a face-to-face appointment, please wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothing. This means your issue can be assessed fully.
This information can help the practitioner decide what is likely to be the best course of action to help you. The practitioner will discuss various options so that together you can choose the best path for you to manage your pain.
In some cases, further investigations such as X-rays, scans, nerve and blood tests may be helpful. These are not always necessary, but appropriate arrangements will be made to obtain these if needed.
What treatment will I receive?
Once you have decided upon the best approach, your practitioner will explain how this can help you manage your pain and everyday activities, including work.
They will advise you on activity and exercise, and provide you with resources to continue this on your own. They may refer you to our group programmes at the hospital or local leisure and community facilities.
They may also address wider health issues that can impact your muscle or joint problems. They may offer you other support such as joint or soft tissue injections.
Your practitioner may recommend further assessment by a specialist or surgery. The NTIMS service can refer you to one of the local hospitals (North Tyneside, Freeman, RVI, Nuffield, Cobalt) for this assessment.
Getting the most out of your appointment
Come prepared with any concerns , important questions or goals you want to work towards. These may be in relation to a particular task, sport or your work. Please write these down and bring them with you.
Keeping in touch
If you need to change an appointment, please try to contact us 48 working hours in advance. This means we can reallocate this appointment to someone else.
If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions we would love to hear from you.
You can contact us on 0191 691 8841 or use our online contact form. Our core working hours are Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm.
As part of your recovery, exercise-based gym sessions may help with your symptoms. We offer different sessions to meet different needs and ability levels. The classes we offer include movement medicine, Escape pain for hip and knee arthritis, and Escape pain for back pain. There are also individual programmes with our own technical instructor.
ESCAPE pain
ESCAPE pain is a group programme for people with persistent hip and knee pain related to osteoarthritis. ESCAPE stands for ‘Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise’. It includes education, self-management and coping strategies. The class is a six-week programme, with two one-hour sessions a week. Each involves 20 minutes education and discussion and 40 minutes exercise. Your physiotherapist can refer you into the class.
Movement medicine
Movement medicine is a gym-based session for any patient able to take part in gym-based activity. It is a great way to gain more intensive physiotherapy, as the class is available three days a week. Patients have the option to come to any of these for a total of 12 sessions. A gym-based programme will be created for your specific needs and goals. You can then follow this in the class on your own, guided by the two physiotherapists present.
Rheumatology
The trust has a rheumatology physiotherapy team. If you are a patient of a Northumbria rheumatology consultant, you can self-refer to the service at North Tyneside General Hospital. Contact 0191 293 4064.
Wellbeing is important to support our physical and mental health. There are a number of local services, groups and charities that exist to help those that need it in North Tyneside. Please find below a list of resources you may find helpful:
Living well North Tyneside - https:/
Social prescribing - http:/
Talking Therapies - https://
Wellbeing walks - https://
Cycling - https://
North Tyneside specialist weight management - https://
Alcohol - https://
Smoking cessation - https://
Bereavement - https:/
North Tyneside Carers - https:/
Adult Social Care - https://
Community links
Active North Tyneside - https:/
Linskill Community Centre - https:/
Cedarwood Trust - https:/
Whitley Bay Big Local - https:/
Age UK North Tyneside - https://
As well as our hospital sites, NTIMS offers appointments at clinics hosted at a number of other locations in North Tyneside:
Garden Park Surgery - Denbigh Avenue, Wallsend, NE28 0PP
Hadrian Health Centre - Elton Street East, Wallsend,
Oxford Centre - West Farm Avenue, Longbenton, NE12 8LT
Priory Medical Group - Albion Road, North Shields,
Shiremoor Resource Centre - Earsdon Rd, Shiremoor, NE27 0HJ
Woodlands Park Health Centre - Canterbury Way, Wideopen, NE13 6JJ
If you need to change an appointment, please try to contact us 48 working hours before your appointment. This means we can reallocate this appointment to someone else.
If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions, we would love to hear from you.
You can contact us on
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