Group Rehab at FNCH awarded with Community Hospitals Team of the Year
The Group Rehabilitation Team at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital has been presented with their trophy after being crowned Community Hospital Team of the Year at our Annual Making a Difference Awards.
The team has been recognised for their outstanding work in supporting patients suffering with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee with evidence-based rehabilitation programmes. This is something the team has offered for many years, but the team collaborated with the Health Innovation Network (HIN) in 2017 to offer a comprehensive ESCAPE-pain programme (Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain during Exercise).
The course, which is endorsed by NHS England and Public Health England, consists of 12 sessions over a six week period, with each session incorporating both educational and exercise elements. This has allowed patients to build up a network of support with their peers all while being guided by experienced practitioners.
Referrals are now being received into the service from GPs, allowing a more rounded and holistic approach to rehab for patients.
On presenting the team with their award, Chief Executive Gavin Boyle said: “The work that you’ve done to offer patients something different and meaningful in their ongoing care for osteoarthritis is inspiring and the success the team has enjoyed is fully warranted. I’m thrilled to be able to present you with this award in recognition of your fantastic efforts that are putting UHDB on the map.”
Ali Crewesmith, Senior Physiotherapist at UHDB, was delighted to see the team presented with their award: “Osteoarthritis affects millions of people in the UK, with arguably the most functional problems caused by OA of the knee.
“Delivering a group session such as this not only improves the experience for the patient, it is also cost effective for the service, and for health and social care as a whole and I’m really proud of the team for their well-deserved success.”