The UK’s largest specialist rehabilitation hospital for patients recovering from a range of conditions – including Covid-19, stroke, sporting injuries and joint replacements – is opening at Pebble Mill in Edgbaston, Birmingham for patients in September 2020.
Circle Rehabilitation, Birmingham, is built on the site of the former BBC Pebble Mill studios in the heart of the city’s renowned Edgbaston Medical Quarter. It brings a wash of innovation and investment to the West Midlands, including the creation of more than 200 jobs.
The multi-million-pound development includes a significant investment in new technologies, including specialist rehabilitation equipment, virtual reality and virtual monitoring, real-time recovery measurements and new apps and software to support people to return to their normal lives.
Rehabilitation Director David Willis said: “When people think about rehabilitation, they often think in terms of a few sessions of physiotherapy. We go further than that. We design a package based around the patient, which brings together a whole range of professionals who constantly monitor and refine so that we can get the person back to their normal lives as effectively as possible and less likely to have recurring issues in the future.”
The service is being established as a centre of excellence in rehabilitation, helping patients towards regaining their independence, performance and wellbeing following illness, injury or surgery. As well as care pathways for people recovering from Covid-19, neurological conditions and musculoskeletal issues, there are also specific services for people with arthritis and rheumatological conditions, with heart conditions, and who are receiving treatment for cancer. There is specialist support for people who would benefit from some additional recovery time following surgery before they return to home, and specialist support for people who need to get back to work.
Mr Willis added: “Each patient’s care is designed around them. The service is doctor-led, incorporating rehabilitation consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, psychologists, speech and language therapists and other healthcare professionals. The patient sets their rehabilitation goals, and the team works to help them achieve them.”
The hospital has 120 patient bedrooms, individual and group treatment areas. It will work with consultants and hospitals across the West Midlands, including Wolverhampton, Coventry, Dudley, Stoke and Shrewsbury.