The Bradley Neuro-rehabilitation unit provides multidisciplinary assessment, advice and rehabilitation for adults with acquired brain injury or complex neurological illness (e.g. Traumatic head injury, Stroke, Multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome).
The unit is based within Woking Community Hospital and has 20 beds.
- Contact Details
- The Referral Process
- What to Expect
- Working Towards Returning Home
- Visiting Times
- Related Links
Rehabilitation helps people to make the best of their abilities and to maximise and maintain their independence wherever possible. This involves looking at the most appropriate ways of carrying out daily tasks such as washing and dressing, moving around and communicating with other people.
The Bradley Unit aims to provide a supportive environment to enable you to develop and use these skills in your daily life. To achieve this, the team will work closely with you and your family or carers throughout your stay to set goals and monitor your progress.
For rehabilitation to be effective, it requires your commitment to attend therapy sessions and to follow your rehabilitation programme. This includes both individual and group sessions and also self-directed practice outside timetabled therapy sessions.
Contact Details
Tel: 01932 723159
The Referral Process
Referrals can be made by Healthcare professionals, if you would like to discuss a referral please call us on the above telephone number.
What to Expect
The Bradley Unit is staffed by healthcare professionals who have special expertise in the field of neurorehabilitation. They work together as a team to develop plans to meet your individual needs. These include:
Specialist Consultants in Neurorehabilitation
Managing your overall progress during your stay and managing medical problems and co-ordinating your overall treatment.
Occupational Therapy
A stroke can cause a range of difficulties such as physical problems, problems with memory and thinking, vision changes and emotional problems or changes in your mood. These difficulties can make it challenging to complete everyday activities.
The Occupational Therapists will complete a thorough assessment looking at all these aspects. Depending on your difficulties, they will work with you to improve your skills and confidence. This may include:
- Practice of a new task
- Advice on new ways of doing things to increase your independence and safety
- Provision of equipment such as handrails, commodes and other options
- Looking at how you will manage in your own home and what help you will need if you are ready to be discharged
- Advice on returning to work, driving or leisure activities
The Occupational Therapists may suggest visiting your home so they can suggest adaptations or equipment that may help you to main safety at home.
Physiotherapy
A stroke can affect the part of your brain that controls movement. It can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. Some people experience muscle spasms, balance problems and joint pain. All these things may make it difficult to move and complete everyday activities.
The aim of Physiotherapy is to help regain mobility and relearn the movements required to be able perform activities such as standing up, walking or reaching for objects following a stroke.
The Physiotherapists will complete a thorough assessment looking at all aspects of your mobility, transfers, sensation, co-ordination and power to identify impairments and plan your therapy accordingly.
During Physiotherapy sessions we work with you to improve:
- Moving around in bed
- Moving from bed to chair
- Standing up and sitting down
- Balance
- Muscle strength
- Arm movement
- Walking
The Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists also assess positioning to ensure that you are comfortable when you are in bed or in a chair and that your affected arm is well supported.
Speech and Language Therapy
A stroke may cause difficulties with communication or swallowing. If you are experiencing these difficulties you will be referred to the Speech and Language Therapists (also referred to as Speech Therapists).
The Speech Therapists will assess your swallowing and provide recommendations to try and make eating and drinking as safe as possible. Some people have severe difficulties with swallowing after a stroke and may require feeding via a tube either short or long term; the team will discuss this with you in more detail if it is required.
Communication problems are common after a stroke. The Speech Therapists will assess your speech and language to identify any difficulties. They will provide exercises and strategies to support you to communicate. They may provide you with picture, word or alphabet charts to help you to communicate your needs whilst you struggle to talk.
The Speech Therapists also work with your relatives to make them aware of strategies that will help you to communicate.
Dietitians
If you have difficulties in eating you may be referred to a Dietitian. The Dietitian will assess your dietary requirements and guide your nutritional health by monitoring your weight and food/fluid intake. The Dietitian’s role includes:
- Providing nutritional support if you have a poor appetite or weight loss. A high protein high energy diet may be recommended to improve your nutritional status and additional nutritional supplements may also be required. If you are unable to take food or drink orally an alternative feeding method may be advised e.g. nasogastric feeding, gastrostomy feeding (PEG)
- Advising on appropriate modified texture diets if you have swallow difficulties identified by the Speech and Language Therapists. The Dietitian will guide you on suitable foods and drinks to ensure your nutritional requirements are met
- Reducing your dietary risk factors by providing advice on a healthy diet if you have diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol or are overweight The Dietitian will also liaise with your family/carers and the community services including your GP to ensure that specific nutritional intervention is continued following your discharge from hospital.
Clinical Neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychology is concerned with the assessment and management of changes in people’s emotions, mood, cognition (thinking processes like memory and concentration) and behaviour following illnesses such as a stroke. These issues are common: they can happen as a result of direct changes to how the brain is working, and/or as people react and adapt to these changes.
They help people understand these changes, and offer advice and support for managing them. Clinical Neuropsychologists may work with you individually and with your family, other carers and staff as appropriate.
Therapy Assistants
Therapy Assistants are core members of the stroke team. They work alongside the therapists to deliver your therapy. They may practice exercises and activities with you to help you to progress. They provide feedback to the therapists who are leading on your care so that your exercises can be adjusted.
Nursing Team
Their 24 hour support and encouragement, in close liaison with other team members, helps you to continue rehabilitation programmes beyond therapy sessions and work towards an independent lifestyle. Nurses are also available to discuss any problems you patients may have with bladder and bowel difficulties and can assist you with medications.
Social Worker
The Social worker provides help and advice regarding housing, employment, finances and benefits. Social services also provides an opportunity for patients to express and explore thoughts and feelings about their disabilities.
Working Towards Returning Home
There will be meetings set up between yourself and members of the team to discuss your progress, rehabilitation goals and discharge plans. You are encouraged to involve your family or carers in these meetings.
In order to be prepared for eventual discharge, organising and planning your discharge will start early on during your stay and an estimated discharge date will be set. You and your relatives or carers will be closely involved with this process and the Social Services practitioner may also be assisting, advising and supporting you at any stage during your time with us.
Your stay at the Bradley Unit is just part of the rehabilitation process which will continue after you have been discharged home through community services.
Visiting Times
Every day including Bank Holidays, up to two visitors at a time:
- Morning 1100 - 1200
- Afternoon 1400 - 1700
- Evening 1830 - 1930
Related Links
- The Stroke Association
www.stroke.org.uk is a good source of information and advice
