National Rehabilitation Centre to be a ‘beacon of hope’ for patients
The country’s first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is set to open its doors for patients.
The NRC is a 70-bed, state-of-the-art specialist rehab centre for NHS patients who have experienced a life-changing illness or injury.
The centre, at Stanford Hall in Nottinghamshire, is run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).
NUH has developed the transformative clinical model to be able to deliver more intensive treatments and rehabilitation earlier in a patient’s journey, and has created a bespoke workforce and relevant training to support this.
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said: “This brand-new, state-of-the-art facility, backed by £105 million of government money, will transform care for patients who need specialist rehabilitation support.
“The National Rehabilitation Centre embodies the future of the NHS: community-based care, digital innovation, and a focus on prevention by reducing avoidable hospital readmissions.
“After years of decline, this project is a beacon of hope and shows the modern NHS we’re building – innovative, compassionate, and focused on giving every patient the best possible chance of recovery.”
The NRC will primarily receive patients from across the East Midlands, many of them anticipated to come through the East Midland’s Major Trauma Centre – the busiest in the UK and based at NUH.
The national aspect to the NRC is that it will lead rehabilitation research and innovation, as well as providing training and education through an NRC Academy, all in collaboration with a consortium of 26 Universities throughout England.
Patients at the NRC will have the opportunity to take part in research during their stay, with the aim of significantly reducing the time between identifying effective new treatments and them benefitting patients.
Clinical staff will also all be encouraged to take part in research and educational activity.
The long-term ambition for the NRC is to be the national ‘hub’ in a future ‘hub and spoke’ model, or a single model multi-site service, with regional rehabilitation units (‘spokes’) established across the country to widen impact and benefit as many patients as possible.
Miriam Duffy, NRC Director and physiotherapist, said: “I am delighted that we are on the verge of opening the first NHS NRC and beginning the journey of transforming the way we provide rehabilitation in this country.
“The impact of timely and effective rehabilitation lasts a lifetime and can be the difference to enable someone returning to the home, work, family and hobbies that they love.
“By taking inspiration and learning from other rehabilitation centres across the globe, we are confident that we have delivered the very best rehabilitation facility where our dedicated and motivating staff will work with researchers and innovators to give our patients back their independence and the best quality of life possible.”
“However, this is just the beginning, and the NRC is much more than just a building. Our aim is to revolutionise rehabilitation across the country so that every NHS patient who suffers a life-changing illness or injury receives the best rehabilitation possible and the best chance to return to living an independent and fulfilling life.”
