Wolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre
Encyclopedia
The Wolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre (WNRC), also better known simply as The Wolfson, is a specialist neurorehabilitation
centre based in Wimbledon
, south west London. The WNRC is part of St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust.
. Wylie McKissock, Consultant Neurological Surgeon to St. George's Hospital from 1944, transformed Atkinson Morley Hospital
from a convalescent hospital into a neurological services unit which included neurosurgery
, neurology
, psychiatry
and specialist support services.
The WNRC was opened to provide rehabilitation services for Atkinson Morley's Hospital and remained in Wimbledon after the transfer of acute neuroscience services from Atkinson Morley's to St. George's Hospital in Tooting
. In 2011 St.George's Healthcare Trust took over the St.John's Therapy Centre in Battersea
and the Queen Mary's Hospital
(QMR) in Roehampton
, including the 14 bed neurorehabilitation service, and the WNRC and QMR will function as a single service.
As well as the neurorehabilitation service, the WNRC is the location of the south west London branch of Headway
, the brain injury association.
to becoming sufficiently independent for discharge. Patients receive a weekly timetable that shows their daily scheduled activities.
There are 36 inpatient beds, of which 21 are for tertiary patients, 11 are for stroke patients transferring from the highly rated stroke unit at St. George's Hospital, and 4 are for patients attending the pain management
programme.
Day services include a day patient programme, Wolfson Cognitive Assessment Programme (WCAP), Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, Cognitive Group and Pain Management Programme.
Facilities include therapy rooms, consulting rooms and offices, kitchen, dining room, lounge, resource room, 36 beds, conference room, various therapy rooms, quiet lounge, and a fully equipped independence rehabilitation flat.
In the first few weeks after admission, patients are assessed with regard to their goals and the support required to achieve those goals. Each patient has an allocated "Chair" (keyworker) who oversees their progress through the goal-oriented rehabilitation programme. Within the first two weeks patients should attend a Goal Planning Meeting, where the MDT and the patient, and when appropriate the family, work together to set goals to be attained by the end of their stay in the WNRC. These long-term goals are then broken down into smaller short-term goals. Review meetings are held every 2–3 weeks to review progress.
Other healthcare professionals include:
, head injury
, multiple sclerosis
, tumour or other acquired neurological condition. Patients usually have non-progressive conditions and one criterion of admission is that they require input from more than one discipline. The WNRC also has specialist medical and non-medical services for patients suffering from chronic pain
.
Neurorehabilitation
Neurorehabilitation is a complex medical process which aims to aid recovery from a nervous system injury, and to minimize and/or compensate for any functional alterations resulting from it....
centre based in Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
, south west London. The WNRC is part of St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust.
History
The WNRC was opened in 1967 by Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent. Construction was made possible by a grant of £250,000 from the Wolfson FoundationWolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is a charity that awards grants to support excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health, education and the arts & humanities.- Overview :...
. Wylie McKissock, Consultant Neurological Surgeon to St. George's Hospital from 1944, transformed Atkinson Morley Hospital
Atkinson Morley Hospital
Atkinson Morley Hospital was located at Copse Hill, Wimbledon, London , SW20, England from 1869 until 2003. The hospital was noted as one of the most advanced brain surgery centres in the world, and in particular for the first use of computed tomography on a human being in 1972 by Godfrey...
from a convalescent hospital into a neurological services unit which included neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
, neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
, psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and specialist support services.
The WNRC was opened to provide rehabilitation services for Atkinson Morley's Hospital and remained in Wimbledon after the transfer of acute neuroscience services from Atkinson Morley's to St. George's Hospital in Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. In 2011 St.George's Healthcare Trust took over the St.John's Therapy Centre in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
and the Queen Mary's Hospital
Queen Mary's Hospital
Queen Mary's Hospital Roehampton is a hospital in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1915 to provide care for wounded soldiers, it became a world renowned limb fitting and amputee rehabilitation centre. Recently rebuilt and modernized it has become a unit of the Wandsworth Primary Care Trust...
(QMR) in Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
, including the 14 bed neurorehabilitation service, and the WNRC and QMR will function as a single service.
As well as the neurorehabilitation service, the WNRC is the location of the south west London branch of Headway
Headway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
, the brain injury association.
Operations
The WNRC provides individual and group rehabilitation programmes for patients. The aim is to help patients make the transition from requiring assistance with activities of daily livingActivities of daily living
Activities of Daily Living is a term used in healthcare to refer to daily self-care activities within an individual's place of residence, in outdoor environments, or both...
to becoming sufficiently independent for discharge. Patients receive a weekly timetable that shows their daily scheduled activities.
There are 36 inpatient beds, of which 21 are for tertiary patients, 11 are for stroke patients transferring from the highly rated stroke unit at St. George's Hospital, and 4 are for patients attending the pain management
Pain management
Pain management is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with pain. The typical pain management team includes medical practitioners, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists,...
programme.
Day services include a day patient programme, Wolfson Cognitive Assessment Programme (WCAP), Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, Cognitive Group and Pain Management Programme.
Facilities include therapy rooms, consulting rooms and offices, kitchen, dining room, lounge, resource room, 36 beds, conference room, various therapy rooms, quiet lounge, and a fully equipped independence rehabilitation flat.
In the first few weeks after admission, patients are assessed with regard to their goals and the support required to achieve those goals. Each patient has an allocated "Chair" (keyworker) who oversees their progress through the goal-oriented rehabilitation programme. Within the first two weeks patients should attend a Goal Planning Meeting, where the MDT and the patient, and when appropriate the family, work together to set goals to be attained by the end of their stay in the WNRC. These long-term goals are then broken down into smaller short-term goals. Review meetings are held every 2–3 weeks to review progress.
Standards of care
The WNRC works within the South Thames Brain Injury Standards for Post Acute Brain Injury RehabilitationMultidisciplinary team
MDT members at the WNRC include:- Occupational therapistOccupational therapistAn occupational therapist is trained in the practice of occupational therapy. The role of an occupational therapist is to work with a client to help them achieve a fulfilled and satisfied state in life through the use of "purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional...
s - Clinical Psychologists: including Consultants in NeuropsychologyNeuropsychologyNeuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
and Pain. - Physiotherapists
- Speech and language therapists
- Nurses
- Medical staff: including Consultants in Rehabilitation Medicine, NeuropsychiatryNeuropsychiatryNeuropsychiatry is the branch of medicine dealing with mental disorders attributable to diseases of the nervous system. It preceded the current disciplines of psychiatry and neurology, in as much as psychiatrists and neurologists had a common training....
and NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
; Consultants in Pain Management; Consultant specialising in Stroke; Specialist Registrar in Rehabilitation Medicine; clinical assistant. - Social workers
Other healthcare professionals include:
- Chiropodist
- DietitianDietitianDietitians supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. The goals of dietitians are to provide medical nutritional intervention, and to obtain, safely prepare, serve and advise on...
- Healthcare assistants
- Orthotist
- PharmacistPharmacistPharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
- Volunteers
- Students
Patient population
Patients at the WNRC are recovering from an illness or injury of the brain or spine. For example, they may have a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, head injury
Head injury
Head injury refers to trauma of the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in medical literature....
, multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, tumour or other acquired neurological condition. Patients usually have non-progressive conditions and one criterion of admission is that they require input from more than one discipline. The WNRC also has specialist medical and non-medical services for patients suffering from chronic pain
Chronic pain
Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and...
.