Projects
The Vale Practice prides itself on supporting our community and patients alike. We have established links with the NHS and ground breaking programmes with Surestart, ensuring complementary health is available to all. We are active in supporting community projects and raising funds for worthwhile causes.
Our work in India
In November 2010 we started a project delivering Osteopathy to a small specialist school in India. The children there were of varied ages from 4 to 16 and had complex histories. The common thread was that they all suffered with learning difficulties of some description (dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, developmental delays, gross and fine motor delays). Their abilities differed as did their circumstances but one thing was clear, their learning style had to be tailored to them and not forced upon them.
In India it is not yet common place to have specialty schools which cater for children with these types of difficulties, they are commonly misdiagnosed and forced into the normal school sector where they struggle to thrive. They are often labeled disruptive and left as the forgotten ones.
What I can only describe as a visionary, a teacher, a healer and a woman of great strength has turned this travesty on its head. Albeit working with a small school, this woman named Sahithi and an equally talented and invested mother of one of the children, Suparna, have developed a nurturing environment in which these children can thrive at their own pace.
The project involves a great deal of one to one teaching, and different modalities such as Extra Lesson Programs, the Listening Program and various teaching techniques to draw from the children their best abilites and talents. Sahithi and Suparna, having experienced the benefits of Osteopathy, have aimed to bring this therapy into the care of the children to support their health and the ability for their bodies to function optimally.
A handful of our osteopathic practitioners have been travelling back to India bi-monthly to support these children through Osteopathy and Kinesiology. The effects have been profound both for the children, their families and our team. It is an inspirational programme and one that we are very proud to have initiated and to be taking part in.
Surestart
The aim was to provide osteopathic treatment for children 0-5 years old under the SureStart programme in Penge. This would be at a widely accessible area and free to all SureStart Penge users, as it is funded through the SureStart programme. The goal was to integrate Osteopathy into an orthodox approach to children’s health in the early years. Osteopathy and, specifically cranial osteopathy was used to aid both child and parents through a variety of difficulties.
Initially approached by Surestart Penge in 2003, the Vale Practice ran a six month pilot scheme to determine the feasibility, benefit and response from the community. This project was the first of its kind through over 600 Surestart units. The practice provided the innovative, progressive care in a cost effective and preventative manner.
The project has been immensely successful, largely thanks to word of mouth and feedback from both parents and evaluative procedures. It paved the way for the second Surestart programme in Aylesbury to start which continues today under the superivision ot The British School of Osteopathy.
GP practice
The Vale Practice held a 10 year contract with a local GP practice in Denmark Hill, South London. Osteopathy was offered to the surgery’s patients on a weekly basis which proved to be very successful for both the patients and the practice. This provided an opportunity for the patients to experience osteopathy within the NHS and allowed the GP’s to benefit from the experienced care our osteopaths offered. So much so we spent a decade there!
Our osteopaths, although in private practice, aim to work closely with local GPs and we are happy to get involved with local practices as and when they need us.
If you are a GP and would like to discuss offering Osteopathic services at your surgery (anywhere in London) please feel free to contact us info@thevalepractice.co.uk.
