Common Threads

‘I haven’t left my Filipino values behind – they continue to shape the way I care for patients and contribute to my team. I believe my heritage has enriched my practice and allowed me to bring a different perspective to the profession.’

So says Jennie Dayrit, a ‘proud Filipino’ and ‘proud to be British’ senior physiotherapist who works as part of Birmingham’s Solihull hospital intermediate care team.

Jennie says Filipino culture places great importance on kindness, respect, family and community. ‘These values naturally influence how I practise physiotherapy. As a clinical educator these values also influence how I support students and junior colleagues,’ she adds.

Jennie qualified in the Philippines in 1995. During training, she developed a strong appreciation for compassion, resilience and respect for patients and their families. ‘Those values have stayed with me throughout my career.’

She arrived to the UK in 2004 as part of a major NHS overseas recruitment campaign. But in 2008, changes to immigration rules threatened her and her young son’s right to remain. 

Jennie became part of a mass protest against the changes which, after the lobbying of MPs, led to debates in the House of Commons, and finally concessions which ensured she, and many thousands more, could stay.

Adaptability

Coming to the UK meant adapting to a new culture, and different ways of communicating and working.

‘There were moments of uncertainty, but each challenge became an opportunity to learn and grow,’ Jennie says. 

‘I have been fortunate to work with people who believed in me, encouraged me to keep learning and gave me opportunities to grow into leadership and educator roles.’

Jennie says she has experienced racism from patients ‘wanting to see a different person with a different accent’. 

But she adds that she has ‘learned how to deal with it in a way you can still incorporate kindness.’

In addition, she says she has taken great support from the CSP’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) network. You can get involved by following this link. 

‘It has given me a sense of visibility and belonging. It provides a space where people with shared experiences can support one another, celebrate achievements, and have honest conversations about the challenges that still exist. 

‘It has also reminded me that representation matters. 

When people see someone with a similar background progressing into leadership, education or specialist roles, it helps them believe that they can achieve those goals too.

And she tells other South East Asian physiotherapists: ‘Your culture, language, life experiences and resilience are strengths that enrich our profession. 

‘Be proud of where you come from, stay curious, continue learning and don’t be afraid to let your authentic self shine.’

In touch with our roots

Thalia Lau is a British-born physio of Chinese heritage, whose family are from Hong Kong. She has just graduated from Cardiff University alongside her friend Dielle DeSouza. 

Both were CSP student reps and heavily involved in the BAME network. Thalia is CSP Student Rep of the Year 2026, while Dielle is runner up.

Thalia grew up in Bournemouth where there were very few children of Chinese background, and she recalls it was ‘very easy to get sucked into wanting to be someone different’.

She says a lot of the values she grew up with, respect for elders and love of family and culture, transfer into her work. 

‘I feel my heritage was always of part of who I am. It helps me appreciate different perspectives; in healthcare it’s not all one side. It helps me understand how culture influences my communication, my health beliefs, and patient expectations. 

Being a good physio is not just clinical knowledge, it’s making sure I understand the person in front of me, and I’m able to recognise their lived experience and then adapt my approach so I know that they feel heard and respected.

Thalia joined the BAME network in her final year and worked with Dielle to raise its profile at Cardiff University.  

They set up a series of webinars on lived experience to show that things that might be perceived as a weakness or difficult time in their lives could actually be empowering and could be used ‘in strength to inspire other people’.

Thalia’s placements have taken her to inner city Cardiff and the Rhonda Valley where she says patients were ‘more curious’ and ‘less diplomatic about’ asking about her roots. 

‘I don’t mind if people want to ask me about my culture. I’m more than happy to speak about it because I know that physio is more than a profession. 

‘I feel like in these communities there’s a lot of opportunities to learn from different people, learn from people that I wouldn’t necessarily meet through my friendships or my university. 

‘I think building those meaningful relationships has also been rewarding for me because I’m also able to discover more about my culture and that’s what I find meaningful to myself.’

Thalia feels heritage ‘isn’t just about where we come from’, ‘it’s more about the values that we want to carry forward and continue, and the physios that we become.’

Hindi helps

Dielle DeSouza grew up in India speaking a local Goan dialect as well as Hindi and English. In 2018, she and her family moved to Surrey, and she attended a Catholic secondary school where her accent caused problems. 

‘That accent was something that I got bullied for a little. It was more like just taunting, people trying to mimic the accent, nothing direct – more like micro-aggression. 

‘But as negative as that was, I feel it helped me be adaptable in a way, because I came out of that. I managed to fit in really well, over time, with that school – and I really liked the school,’ she recalls.

It was on a pelvic health placement that her background and Hindi language skills came to the fore. 

‘I had to give South Asian patients information postpartum. They were so stressed, the last thing they wanted is someone trying to explain pelvic floor exercises when English isn’t their first language.’

Dielle was able to speak with a patient and their family in Hindi to explain the importance of post-natal care and provide Hindi language exercise videos.

In South Asia family is a big thing, they always like to be involved. So, it was taking that into consideration as well, and you could instantly see the patient feel more relaxed and comfortable and that I understood her pain.

Cardiff is a big port city with a diverse population where Dielle says she has ‘never felt any discrimination in terms of race’. 

‘There are always going to be patients that are rude to you, but I never felt it was aimed at me culturally.’

She says the BAME network has been a great help ‘in giving me the confidence to celebrate and be comfortable with my background and culture.

‘I got bullied at school; I was always someone afraid of showing my culture.  I used to always act in a more westernised way because I was scared of getting bullied and people not liking me. I’m quite a people pleaser. The BAME network showed me that you can be yourself. 

‘I went to the CSP’s Annual Representative Conference in June, and seeing people from the network embracing their culture, wearing cultural clothes, I felt I can do the same. 

Why should I be embarrassed? So, it really helped bring me out of that shell, seeing people from similar backgrounds, listening to their experiences and how they got over it, because then that’s something that you can use in the future.’