In reply to SecretSquirrel:
Thanks for all advice, I'm current waiting for date of first NHS physio appointment, will see how I get on with them and make sure they're helping me in terms of sports fitness rather than just basic rehab then look into dedicated sports physio if it doesn't feel like I'm making progress.
In terms of bike setup, I have a specialized hardrock sport disc with pretty much the original spec. I'm planning to put hydraulic brakes on to replace the cable ones and I think that will make quite a difference both on the position of levers and grip strength required. The bars are already fairly wide compared to mates' bikes but I'll check out the grips and bar ends.
In terms of bracing I'm probably going to try out the 661 wrist wraps - fairly cheap option to start off with but I've seen some fairly positive reviews of them from riders with wrist injuries.