Falls prevention physiotherapy at home in Barnet

Worried about falls, or finding Barnet Hill, the walk to the tube or a stroll by Dollis Brook harder than before? A Chartered Physiotherapist, registered with the HCPC, visits older adults at home across Barnet, from Chipping Barnet and Whetstone to Finchley and Golders Green. Much of the borough is leafy and hilly, so we work on strength, balance and stamina to help you manage the slopes, the market on a Saturday morning and the walk to see friends. Every programme starts with a falls risk assessment at home.

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Homes in Barnet

Barnet has a wide mix of homes. Finchley, East Finchley and Hendon have long streets of Edwardian and interwar terraces and semis, many with a tiled step at the front door and a steep staircase inside. Hampstead Garden Suburb has its Arts and Crafts cottages and houses, often with uneven garden paths. In Burnt Oak, the Watling Estate is a large interwar council estate of short brick terraces, while Colindale and Grahame Park have estates of flats and a lot of newer apartment blocks with lifts. On the hillier ground in Mill Hill, Totteridge and Chipping Barnet, homes often have sloping drives and steps up from the pavement. Every visit starts with how you get around your own home and building, and a physiotherapist who comes to your home can practise the exact stairs, drive and garden steps you use each day, at a pace that is safe for you.

Where we visit in Barnet

We offer physiotherapy home visits across the borough, including Chipping Barnet, New Barnet, East Barnet, Whetstone, Totteridge, Mill Hill, Edgware, Burnt Oak, Colindale, Hendon, Finchley, East Finchley, Friern Barnet, Golders Green, Hampstead Garden Suburb and Cricklewood. That covers postcodes N3, N12, N20, NW4, NW7, NW11 and EN5, and parts of N2, N11, N14, NW2, NW9, EN4 and HA8. There is no travel charge anywhere in London.

Coming home from hospital

Many Barnet residents are treated at Barnet Hospital on Wellhouse Lane, or at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, and are then supported by NHS community teams. SteadyMotion is an independent private service, separate from the NHS, so we can work alongside your NHS care, while you wait for it, or after it ends. After a fall, a broken hip, or a hip or knee replacement, we work on your walking aid, strength, balance and the stairs at home. Read more in our guide to home physiotherapy for older adults.

Getting out and about again

For many people here, getting out means a walk. The Dollis Valley Greenwalk follows Dollis Brook for miles through Totteridge, Whetstone and Woodside Park down to Hampstead Garden Suburb, and Totteridge Fields, Arrandene in Mill Hill and the Hampstead Heath Extension all have open grass and gentle hills. Closer to the shops there are Victoria Park in Finchley, Friary Park in Friern Barnet, Oak Hill Park in East Barnet and Sunny Hill Park in Hendon. Barnet Market runs in Chipping Barnet on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the high streets in North Finchley, Golders Green, Edgware and East Finchley are busy with shoppers and buses. Local libraries, and leisure centres like New Barnet, Barnet Copthall and Finchley Lido, are good places for classes and company. The RAF Museum in Colindale and Brent Cross are popular trips with family. Most people travel on the Northern line, with its High Barnet, Edgware and Mill Hill East branches, on Thameslink from Mill Hill Broadway or Hendon, or by bus along the Great North Road and Finchley Road. Some stations, like High Barnet, sit at the bottom of a steep climb. We practise those slopes, steps and bus journeys to help you feel confident, step by step, on the routes you actually use.

What a programme can look like

These are examples, not real clients. Every programme is planned around the person and what they want to get back to.

Example: Barnet Hill to the market. Starting point: someone who used to walk up from High Barnet station to the Saturday market, but now stops halfway because their legs tire and they feel unsteady. What we work on: leg strength and stamina for hills, pacing and rest stops, and walking with a shopping trolley. The goal: the walk up to the market and back again.

Example: a stretch of the Dollis Valley Greenwalk. Starting point: someone who walked by Dollis Brook every week, then stopped after a fall on a muddy path. What we work on: balance on uneven and slippery ground, stepping over roots, and building the distance a little each week. The goal: a regular walk along the brook again.

Example: home after a knee replacement in Finchley. Starting point: someone back home from hospital after a knee replacement, living in a terraced house with a steep staircase and a step down into the garden. What we work on: bending and straightening the knee, strength, stair practice with the rail and moving from a frame to a stick when ready. The goal: the stairs and the garden without help.

Example: the Northern line again. Starting point: someone with general unsteadiness who has stopped taking the tube from Golders Green because of the stairs and crowds on the platform. What we work on: stair climbing with a rail, reactive balance for a busy platform, and getting on and off the train. The goal: a trip into town to meet friends.

Other areas we visit

We also visit older adults at home in nearby Brent, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Harrow, and across the rest of London, with no travel charge.

Questions about home visits in Barnet

Yes. Many homes in Barnet have sloping drives or steps up from the pavement. We practise the slope and steps outside your own front door, and look at rails and lighting where they would help.
Yes. Once you are steady enough, we can practise outside, building up the hills, uneven paths and distances you need for your usual trip.
Yes, once you are well enough to exercise at home. We are private and separate from the NHS, so we can see you alongside any NHS care.
Yes, most people we see are over 65. Family members can book the free call on their behalf.
The same as anywhere in London, with no travel charge. Current prices are on our Home Visits page.

Talk it through first

A free 15 minute phone call with our physiotherapist, at a time that suits you, to talk through what is happening and whether a home visit is right. No obligation to book a visit.

Family members and carers are welcome to book on someone’s behalf.