DI COGGINGS 
MBE MCSP

Head of Therapies and Senior Children's Physiotherapist

Prior to being head of therapies including children's physiotherapy at the Royal London and Barts and The London Children's Hospital, Barts Health, Di was head of children’s physiotherapy at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children between 1979 and 1992, Junior and then Senior Physiotherapist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children between 1976 and 1979 and Junior Physiotherapist at The Sanderson Orthopaedic Hospital, Newcastle between 1974 and 1976.
Di has previously been successful in obtaining funding for a project on childhood obesity. The project was run for 6 months and resulted in being successful in getting mainstream funding for a Childhood Obesity Team, which is still running. She has also been collaborator in running projects for a Community Cystic Fibrosis Physiotherapy project and a Dietitian for Children’s Diabetes.
Di has been Chair of the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists and has led projects within this national group, e.g. the publication of a booklet on “The Physiotherapy Management of Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Palsy”, “Outcome Measures in Paediatric Physiotherapy” and “Hip Dislocation in Children with Cerebral Palsy” to name but a few. These were national projects.
Di was awarded a MBE in June 2010 for services to Healthcare and in January 2013, was awarded an individual “Barts Health Hero Award” for valuing every member of staff and the contribution to the care of our patients' value.


The Therapy team

The Children’s Therapy team at Barts Health is managed by Di Coggings. Senior Children’s Physiotherapist, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists who work closely with the paediatric orthopaedic department as part of the multi-disciplinary team. They see referred children with musculoskeletal problems as out-patients in the gym; they run specialised clinics for serial casting and Ponseti treatment and have a pre-admission clinic for children with complex needs being admitted for surgery. Children on the ward post surgery are seen by the therapy team to ensure safe and timely discharge home. Decision making for surgical and non-surgical intervention in children with neurological conditions is very often between the senior Physiotherapist and the Orthopaedic team. It is recognised that direct communication with the child’s community professionals is essential.

Contact for children's therapy

For orthopaedics (and in addition, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy) and for all of our sites, referrals for all children’s therapy services need to be made in writing to:

Di Coggings, Head of Children’s Therapy 
Tel: 020 3594 1531
Email: [email protected]