Looking to the future
The Stroke rehabilitation unit will be relocating to the new build once phase two of the redevelopment of the West Cumberland Hospital is complete.
The design of the new unit was a collaborative project between the stroke team alongside input from patients and their families.
R
achel Glover, Stroke Nurse Consultant said:
“The redevelopment means a great deal to us as a team; we want to provide our patients with the very best care in the best environment possible. We have all had a say in the new design and one of the main issues we raised was space. We use a lot of specialist equipment while delivering patient care, so adequate space is vital so we can fully utilise this equipment and give our patients the space they need to safely move around the ward.
“We also wanted to make sure we have a private family room away from the ward itself which we could use to meet with the families and carers of our patients to discuss treatment and discharge plans.
“Getting the mix of bays and single rooms right on the ward is also important. Some of our patients may be with us for a longer stay and are keen to have interaction with other patients and others will want the privacy of a single room. The new unit will have a mix of both to accommodate the different needs.”
Rachel added:
“From a staff perspective, we were keen to have more space for us to gather as a team, there are lots of people involved in the care of a stroke patient and we’re constantly reviewing the needs of our patients. The new unit will have a dedicated space for us to meet and have these confidential discussions.”
Paul Slatterly Specialist Stroke Physiotherapist, said:
“We are thrilled to be moving into the new build. We will be located on the ground floor which will give us access to the private courtyard which will become an extended rehabilitation area. This will be hugely beneficial to the work we do with patients as we are often preparing them to return to their lives outside of the hospital and having an outdoor space where they can build their strength and gain confidence away from the safety net of the ward is very important.”
Stroke services
The Stroke unit at West Cumberland Hospital is a rehabilitation unit providing expert support for adults of all ages who have had a stroke. The focus is on enabling stroke patients to return to being as active and involved in their daily lives as possible.
The unit is led by a multi-disciplinary team made up of:
- Stroke Consultants
- Specialist Stroke Nurse Consultant
- Stroke Nurses
- Health Care Assistants
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Psychologists
- Dieticians
The multi-disciplinary team supports stroke patients and their families/carers to help manage any longer-term stroke problems they may have and also plan and prepare for leaving hospital. The team develops and provides individual and personalised treatment plans to help patients to identify goals that they want to work towards during their time on the unit. These are based on assessments of each patient's physical, sensory, cognitive, perceptual, language, speech and swallowing problems.
The stroke team work to make sure that patients and their relatives feel supported and well informed during their stay. Regular meetings are held with family members as well as outside care agencies if applicable. The team also organises care planning meetings prior to leaving hospital to plan next steps and the practicalities of what help or equipment might be needed.