State of the art rehab unit opened
A new specialist rehabilitation unit has opened at London Road Community Hospital, bringing together 10 specialist services to provide multi-disciplinary support for patients.
The unit is home to a range of outpatient and community rehabilitation services for adults with recent and long-term physical disabilities.
The services have always been provided by the Trust, but teams worked in isolation and some were based at London Road while others operated from Royal Derby Hospital.
Dr Steve Attfield, Deputy General Manager for Specialist Rehabilitation, said: “Many of the patients that we care for have complex needs and are seen by different specialists and departments within specialist rehabilitation. Bringing the services together and working from one unit has allowed for closer multi-disciplinary working and improved the experience we are able to provide our patients.
“The seed was planted five years ago when service managers and rehabilitation consultants discussed the benefits of having all services under one roof. The old building was emptied and redesigned, based on patients’ feedback. The whole unit has been refurbished, and services were moved from Royal Derby Hospital. It looks fantastic and we’ve had really positive feedback from patients and their families.”
Specialist rehabilitation at London Road Community Hospital from UHDB Communications on Vimeo.
The Specialist Rehabilitation Unit is home to Neuro Outpatients, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spasticity, Comprehensive Assessment Service for Older People, Chronic Fatigue Service, Clinical Neuropsychology, Gait lab, Parkinson’s clinic and Speech & Language Therapy.
Leanne Atkins, Senior Neurological Physiotherapist works in the unit, said: “Its great having everyone working in the same area. It is easier to liaise with other professionals and provide a better service for patients. For example, if I want some advice on splinting, I can access the spasticity service just down the corridor, or if I need help with an unwell patient, there is a higher abundance of staff available for support, particularly doctors and nurses.”
During the official opening, Dr Kate Allatt shared her inspirational story about her challenging recovery after suffering a stroke and locked in syndrome. The author and researcher spoke to staff and patients about the power of rehabilitation.
She said: “It’s simply not good enough to pat ourselves on the back for skilfully saving the lives of people who would have simply died a few years ago. We must consider how we can help make these survivors be the best they can be in our communities afterwards.”