Work on the 70-bed specialist National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is being completed on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, home to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (which opened in 2018). Scheduled to open later this year, the centre will be staffed and run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Director Miriam Duffy – a physiotherapist by background who specialises in neurological rehabilitation – said: ‘Our innovative approach to rehabilitation at the NRC will be a game-changer both for patients and rehabilitation as a whole. This technology is one of a wide range of measures designed to deliver that step change for patients, helping them to engage in their ongoing rehabilitation 24 hours a day.
‘Intelligent bedside terminals will help to promote independence for our patients, many of whom have life-changing injuries.’
Miriam added: ‘For patients with limited mobility, it will mean they can use the technology in their room to control their environment, without having to ask a member of staff. And for patients who may have impacted memory from brain injuries, it is another means by which we can keep them informed about what is happening in their care.’
‘Intelligent bedside terminals’
The NRC will deploy technology to help patients to maintain their independence as they recover from life-changing injuries and illnesses and regain their quality of life.
‘This technology is one of a wide range of measures designed to deliver that step change for patients, helping them to engage in their ongoing rehabilitation 24 hours a day’ [Miriam Duffy]
After a competitive process was completed, Airwave Healthcare was chosen to equip the bedrooms with ‘intelligent bedside terminals’ – iPads that will provide much more than the entertainment services that the patients might have enjoyed at home.
The terminals will be integrated into the NRC’s systems, allowing patients to control their own environment – operating room blinds, lighting and heating – which will be important to help our patients to maintain their independence as they recover from severe illnesses or injuries, including traumatic brain injuries.
Personalised diaries will be available
Educational content relevant to each individual’s rehabilitation will be made available through the same device, as will personalised diaries to keep patients informed about their schedule and care activity.
Electronic patient record integration will mean that patients are kept informed as active participants in their rehabilitation – with live access to information on their estimated discharge date, medications, diet, care teams and other important insights of relevace to the individual.
Patients will also be able to video call friends and loved ones from accessible devices, and even order meals directly from the same device – all through an enhanced version of a service called MyCareTV, designed to help stimulate patients during their care.
Dean Moody, healthcare services director at Airwave Healthcare, said: ‘In any hospital environment, investment in technology that helps to stimulate and engage patients in their care is important to enhance recovery.
‘The needs of patients at the NRC place this in sharper focus. We will continue to work with healthcare professionals to understand changing needs and innovate to respond throughout this agreement.’
About the NRC
The NRC will also be a national hub for innovation, cutting-edge research and development, and training and education. A national consortium of 24 universities across the country will help the NRC to remain at the forefront of rehabilitation research and expertise.
For more information, visit: https://nationalrehabilitationcentre.nhs.uk
About Airwave Healthcare
Airwave Healthcare is working with health and care organisations to help them seize a historic opportunity to modernise patient media systems for the better. Its products and services are free to patients, and fair to health and care providers.
For more information, visit: https://www.hospitaltv.co.uk/
