Team

Helen Legg – Admin Manager

Helen is the lynchpin that holds Birchwood Physiotherapy together and is your first point of contact as a patient at Birchwood Physiotherapy, she will ensure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed when arranging your appointment.

Her job involves booking and liaising with you, as well as dealing directly with our referring insurance companies and ensuring the Physiotherapists know what they’re doing on a day to day basis. She’s particularly excited about our new integrated clinic software which will make her life so much easier.

Helen grew up locally and after leaving school worked in the Civil Service for 10 years, where in the latter years she became a regional staff trainer. She has been working with Alison and the team at Birchwood Physiotherapy since 2010, where her role has evolved as the business has grown from strength to strength.

Helen enjoys gardening and growing her own fruit and vegetables. She also enjoys yoga and walking, particularly along the Dorset coast and countryside. She spends her free time with her family and family dog.

Alison Tarleton-Hodgson – Grad. Dip. Phys. MCSP

Alison qualified as a Physiotherapist from Kings College Hospital London in 1984 where she quickly developed a passion and gifting in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy.
In 1998 Alison started her own private practice at Birchwood Medical Centre which continued to grow, becoming the thriving Birchwood Physiotherapy you see today. Alison is a member of Physio First and proud to be awarded Quality Assured Practitioner status in 2018. The NHS side of the practice has also developed to include a direct access service for Poole North and First Contact Practitioner work for Poole Central GP surgeries. This enables a strong working relationship with local GPs and a knowledge of community services available to help and sign post local people to as they seek to improve their health and fitness.

Alison likes to take a holistic approach to her treatments acknowledging the strong connection between the mind and body which has been shown to influence both rate of recovery from injury and episodes of recurrence. Alison takes time to further assess how the body moves, identifying altered movement patterns which can lead to dysfunctions and injury. She will facilitate this by using a variety of skills honed from the wealth of experience she has gained over the years, including using her training in BeActivated Therapy. Patients will benefit from individually tailored exercise and self management programmes and will feel empowered and educated to invest in their own recovery.

When Alison is not at work she loves to holiday with her husband and spend time with her grown up children and grandchildren. She enjoys keeping herself fit and healthy with cycling, HIT exercises and walking as well as ensuring she keeps some quieter reflection times to help her keep perspective in this busy world.

Paul Noble – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy – BSc (Hons) Sports Science, MCSP

Paul graduated from Brunel University in 2000 and is a skilled Physiotherapist with over 24 years experience. He has worked in private practice for over 20 years and has developed a specialism for running related injuries, running gait analysis and strengthening for runners. He has a solid working relationship with many Dorset Consultants to ensure seamless rehabilitative care following patient surgery. He is regularly referred all manner of musculoskeletal cases including; spinal, hip, shoulder, knee, foot and ankle as well, of course, as all running related injuries.

He has worked for 15 years on site at a large corporate bank in Bournemouth delivering quality Private Physiotherapy enabling a quick resolution of aches and pains for the grateful staff. The West Hants Club also hosted Paul as he worked alongside Tennis coaches, Strength & Conditioning coaches and academy staff providing tailored Physiotherapy to the Elite level youth players as well as the wider gym audience. He has worked in a variety of other settings providing Physiotherapy to QPR Football Club academy players, Poole based military personnel and 4MUK adventure participants.

He has written numerous articles for various media outlets including Men’s Health and he is passionate about helping to restore fitness and health to individuals with injuries to get them back doing what they love quickly. As well as seeing private clients he has also worked as an FCP in Poole based GP surgeries for 3 years.

A First Contact Practitioner is a Musculoskeletal (MSK) Specialist Physiotherapist who works along side GPs and other surgery based health professionals to manage MSK cases at the first point of contact to reduce pressure on the GPs.

James Rainsbury – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, MCSP

After completing my physiotherapy degree at the University of the West of England in Bristol in 2019, I’ve had the privilege of working in various inpatient and outpatient
settings. It’s in the private musculoskeletal setting, however, that I’ve truly found my passion. I love the variety of clients I get to work with, from young athletes with
sports injuries to older adults simply aiming to improve their mobility around the home, and everyone in between.
My extensive background in sports massage, combined with my deep understanding of biomechanics and anatomy, allows me to take a truly holistic approach to therapy.
I’m dedicated to getting to know each client on a personal level—understanding their background, their goals, and their motivations allows my clients to get fantastic
results and makes my job incredibly rewarding. In fact, you could say I’m one of those people who genuinely looks forward to going to work every day!
Outside of the clinic, I enjoy running and long walks, especially in the forest or the Purbecks. I also enjoy testing myself in the gym, mostly because it helps me keep up
with my energetic son, who enjoys racing me around, beating me up, making me jump, and generally anything keeping my heart rate (and blood pressure!) up. We all
have different reasons for wanting to stay fit, and my goal is to help you find your ‘why’. By uncovering your unique motivation, whether it’s known or not yet
discovered, we can make exercise a more enjoyable and sustainable part of your life, ultimately contributing to a happier and healthier you.

James likes to keep up to date with the most recent evidence base in Physiotherapy treatment so he can be as effective and efficient as possible with his treatments. James is a keen runner and is currently training for a busy year of half and full marathons.

Stacey Hamilton – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, MCSP

Stacey graduated as a Physiotherapist from Salford University in 2011 and her first post was working within a Rapid Response Team within Tameside both at Tameside Hospital helping facilitate the discharge of patients from hospital to the Tameside community and then providing rehabilitation and care support to the patients in their homes.

Moving South to Poole, Stacey joined the Birchwood Physiotherapy team in 2015, working both NHS and private clinics treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions taking an holistic approach when devising home exercise programmes specific to the client and their condition(s). Stacey has a keen interest in Pilates so will utilise concepts of core strengthening within her treatments.

Away from work, Stacey has a young son so likes to spend family days out walking and exploring the South Coast and has an interest in all sports, especially running being an ex-county sprinter for Humberside and playing tennis where she previously represented the Army whilst a member of the Armed Forces.

Due to her love of football, Stacey has also worked part time at Stalybridge Celtic FC and then Glossop North End FC treating first team players from on-field injuries back to full fitness with rehabilitation programmes. Alongside completing her degree, Stacey also completed her Level 4 VTCT qualification in Sports Massage and through this, has worked at Warrington Wolves FC and at the Olympic Games in London 2012 providing treatment for international athletes at both the London Stadium and Newham training venue. Stacey has also spent 3 years working at the Leaf Academy in Bournemouth helping rehabilitate students in Specialist Sports and Performing Arts.