For senior physiotherapist Natalie Davis APAM, no two days are ever the same. 

One moment she might be lifting an older patient off the bathroom floor with the help of a paramedic and specialised equipment and the next she’s inside a statewide Clinical Hub triaging emergency falls cases over the phone. 

In her role with Queensland Ambulance Service’s Falls Co-Response Program, Natalie is transforming how physiotherapists can contribute to emergency healthcare. 

A passionate advocate for person-centred, out-of-hospital care, Natalie brings years of clinical knowledge, experience in emergency departments and a deep respect for the autonomy of older people to her role. 

‘I love that we can make such a difference in someone’s life without them ever needing to set foot in a hospital. 

We have the combined “toolkit” to link patients with the support they need and reduce the risk of further falls—all while keeping them safe at home.’ 

Where it all began 

Natalie’s career in physiotherapy began with a love of sport and some inevitable injuries along the way. 

Growing up in Essex in the UK, Natalie played hockey and received treatment from her best friend’s mother, a physiotherapist, which sparked her interest in the profession. 

‘I just thought it was amazing what she knew and what she did. I wanted to help people like me, who love sport, get back to what they love.’ 

After completing a degree in sports therapy and gaining valuable hands-on experience, Natalie pursued a Master of Physiotherapy at the University of Essex, eventually honing her skills in major teaching hospitals including King’s College Hospital in London. 

There she rotated through the emergency department, acute medicine, trauma and orthopaedics. Fortuitously, she joined the community falls team. 

‘I started getting into geriatrics and loved it. 

The emergency side of things was always my favourite—the quick thinking, the variety and the problem-solving.’ 

Having travelled to Australia frequently from the age of six to visit family friends, Natalie eventually relocated here, transferring her credentials and going through the registration process with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia to enable her to work across her chosen location, metropolitan Brisbane. 

It was then that she chanced on an advertisement looking for a physiotherapist to join a 12-month Queensland Ambulance Service pilot program. 

In partnership with Queensland Health, the now ongoing program teams physiotherapists or occupational therapists with paramedics to respond to triple zero calls for older patients who have had a fall. 

Skills fall into place 

The program was looking to fill two allied health clinician roles to cover the Metro North and Metro South health services so Natalie applied for both—and got both jobs. 

Covering two regions and working 10-hour days was a challenge, Natalie admits. 

However, she was in her element and drawing on all of her collective experience in community health, emergency, major trauma and orthopaedics. 

Now based in Kedron in Brisbane’s north and Durack in Brisbane’s south, Natalie splits her time between the Clinical Hub—triaging falls-related triple zero calls—and working on the road alongside a paramedic. 

She’s part of a specialised allied health team that is embedded within the emergency response system to support people who have fallen at home and help direct them to the most appropriate pathway of care. 

‘It’s very different from working in a hospital or outpatient clinic. We walk into someone’s environment and have to assess everything, from their physical mobility to their home set-up and what supports they have in place.’ 

Each falls team operates with a paramedic and either a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist, sharing clinical skills in an interdisciplinary model. 

Together they assess the patient medically, physically, socially and environmentally to determine the safest course of action. 

‘My role depends on the situation. 

I adapt my clinical assessment according to the case in front of me and utilise a collaborative model to determine the most appropriate health pathway to support the patient. 

The key is collaboration—we each bring different strengths.’ 

Support begins at home 

Some of Natalie’s most memorable call-outs have tested her clinical range. 

On one occasion, she and a paramedic responded to a man aged in his 90s, originally from East London, who had fallen twice in recent weeks but didn’t want to go to hospital. 

‘He was fiercely independent, living alone and functionally declining. The paramedic and I did a joint assessment—his observations were fine but he clearly needed support at home.’ 

Natalie Davis brings her physiotherapy expertise to emergency patient care. Photo: Queensland Ambulance Service

Natalie helped organise an urgent referral to community services that could visit him within 24 hours, ensuring that he had functional equipment and safety nets in place. 

‘It’s about listening to what matters to the patient and responding appropriately. 

If someone has the capacity to decide, we respect that, but we make sure the right services are there to support them.’ 

In another case Natalie encountered a woman who had spent more than 24 hours on the floor of her home after a fall. 

‘She was very sick. There was broken glass on the tabletop, outdated medications everywhere—she was clearly not coping. 

Even though she was transferred to hospital, our on-scene observations helped the hospital teams understand what was really going on at home.’ 

This firsthand insight, Natalie says, is where allied health clinicians can add real value to emergency care. 

‘We see what others might not—how someone’s living, what risks exist in the home and what’s contributing to the fall.’ 

Elevating patient care 

Out on the road, crews carry lifting devices such as the HoverJack, Elk and Camel lifting cushions and the Raizer chair, which allow for the safe movement of patients who have fallen on the floor. 

But the job goes far beyond the physical lift. 

Natalie assesses a patient after he experienced a fall in the home. Photo: Queensland Ambulance Service

‘Our assessment is much bigger than just looking at the patient’s mobility and physical function. It starts from the moment we walk up the driveway. 

We look at the state of the house, signs of functional decline, even the food in the fridge. It all paints a picture. 

When we arrive, we look at the type of building, how the building looks, whether it’s a highset Queenslander, whether it’s derelict. 

Do they have stairs? Do they have rails? We look at the state of their car—is it actually being driven? Are there any dents on the car? 

And we look at the general environment and how they’re living—whether or not it’s smelly, whether there’s any infestation or whether it’s all looking pretty good.’ 

Natalie describes how even something as simple as a broken highbacked chair can determine whether a patient can stay in the home. 

Without the support offered by such a chair, the patient might not be able to manage certain daily tasks of living in a safe way, she says. 

‘In one case, I was able to get a replacement chair delivered and set up during the visit, which made all the difference for that patient. 

Our aim is to say that medically and physically, the patient is safe enough with the equipment they have and supports in place. 

Otherwise, I bring things in for at least the next 72 hours so I know that they’re going to be safe and have an action plan for the future. 

It’s about identifying the need for onward intervention.’ 

Linking in with other hospital programs—which include teams of doctors, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and pharmacists—offers a broader safety net to those older patients who are determined not to go to hospital and who wish to remain in their own home for as long as possible. 

Referrals are made to programs such as Metro South’s Multidisciplinary Hospital Avoidance and Post-Acute Service, which visits patients usually within 24 hours and provides ongoing support. 

‘It’s almost like bringing the hospital to the person. They can deliver equipment, do nursing reviews and even arrange social work support.’ 

Meeting the growing need 

Working in the field comes with its complexities, particularly when patients decline medical attention or advice. 

‘You have to sit with uncomfortable things sometimes. I’ve had cases where a patient clearly needed hospital care but refused to go. In those moments, we do everything we can—safety netting, referrals and follow-up calls.’ 

Being comfortable with autonomy and rapid decision-making is essential, Natalie says.

‘It’s a role for independent practitioners. You have to back yourself and your clinical judgement.’ 

Despite these challenges, Natalie thrives on the unpredictability and the privilege of being welcomed into people’s homes. 

‘I love that we can spend the time to truly understand the person and their situation.’

What began as a two-site pilot program is now a growing network of teams across Queensland. 

Since its launch in October 2023, the program has assessed more than 6000 patients. And it has reduced hospital admissions by around 50 per cent. 

The program has recently expanded further, with crews coming online in Townsville, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Cairns, in the far north of the state. 

‘From just two crews at Durack and North Lakes, we now have seven teams, including extended hours on the Gold Coast and a Clinical Hub model at Kedron. It’s exciting to be part of something that’s reshaping care.’ 

The program has also already received accolades including the Council of Ambulance Authorities’ Excellence in Patient Care Award. 

For Natalie, the recognition reinforces what patients know: that the service works. ‘Our patients overwhelmingly love it. We take the time, we listen and we help them stay where they want to be— in their homes, with dignity and the right support.’