Hi,
I thought that Physiotherapist only treated people after they had been treated in hospital.
Nope. We are often the first point of contact, especially in regards to Trauma/ Orthopaedics.
E.g. if you injure yourself, you can go into a Physio practice and get an assessment. If we come to the conclusion that something might be broken, we will send you for an X-Ray. And the outcome of the X-Ray will then determine who you see next. We can also refer for an Ultrsound, do Acupuncture and there are e.g. certificates after which we can do joint injections, but again these are special certificates. We do work closely with the Orthopaedic Consultants and refer to each other for assessments etc.. Although, I should say that this is not generally the case for all Physios - it depends on the country in which you are getting your Physio education.

The first contact in hospital or 'triage' is usually done by Nurses or you get to see a Doctor straight away. Am not sure whether they all use Physios for that, but I have not come across a medical centre or hospital that does so. Physios in those centres usually receive referrals for assessments.

To get some more ideas about what Physios do and what is integrated in the undergraduate degree, have a look here:
Physiotherapy degrees | The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Careers questions | The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Cheers,
Fyzzio