New 28-bed rehab unit opens at Royal Preston Hospital

Patients who need specialist rehabilitation in order to return home from hospital will be cared for in a new facility opened at Royal Preston Hospital this week.

Avondale Rehabilitation Unit is a brand new service offered by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, predominantly for patients who need more intensive rehabilitation and two or more people to move and handle them.

The new 28-bed unit, located on the top floor of the Avondale Unit on the Royal Preston Hospital site, is designed to support intermediate care capacity for rehabilitation and enhance the current offer in existing community units.

It will operate on an ‘early supported discharge’ model, enabling staff to continue to support and assess patients in their own homes following initial care in the unit.

Patients will be referred from all inpatient areas of Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals (with the exception of those requiring highly specialised neuro rehabilitation), and the unit will support a wide range of people from those recovering from major trauma to lower-limb amputees and those with a cognitive impairment.

Claire Granato, Chief Allied Health Professional at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be launching this brand new service to improve local rehabilitation provision available and enhance outcomes for patients in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

“This is a therapy-led service and we have recruited a fantastic new team to care for patients and support their journey to recovery.

“Staff from the unit will support patients during the initial phase of their rehabilitation as well as help them to transition back to living at home.

“Helping to restore the independence of our patients is a key focus for us and the team will do this by working with patients both in the unit and in their own home.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a patient reach the stage that they can return to living independently in their own home.”

Avondale Rehabilitation Unit began accepting patients on Monday, 14 December.

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