Toggle site contrast Toggle Contract

Buckinghamshire Neuro Rehabilitation Unit (BNRU)

We provide specialist rehabiliation services in Buckinghamshire for people living with neurological conditions.

What we do

We provide every person who comes for neurorehabilitation the best opportunity to work on realistic goals towards improved function.

We achieve this through offering specialised assessment and rehabilitation services for people with neurological conditions.

Our approach integrates hospital rehabilitation with community support, working closely with you and your loved ones to help you re-engage in important roles and activities. We support you as you tackle challenges, and work to reach your full potential through every stage of recovery.

We work with you to meet your individual rehabilitation needs. By focusing our skills where they can make the greatest impact, we’ll support you to regain independence and adapt to new circumstances enabling you to grow in strength and confidence.

About inpatient neurorehabilitation

By staying with us as an inpatient, you’ll develop the skills you need to manage your condition while you’re with us and after you leave the hospital.

We’ll guide you every step of the way. You’ll have therapy sessions, as well as suggested tasks and activities to practise outside of those sessions.

Our team will help you to set some long-term goals and strike a balance between investing in rehabilitation and maintaining quality of life which is essential for your wellbeing.

What happens when you arrive

Our therapists will assess you. This process can take up to 2 weeks as the team gather information and evaluate test results. They’ll then share their findings with you and agree a treatment plan.

Timetables

We’ll give you a daily timetable which will detail your therapy sessions so you know what your day will look like. It’s a guide and may change but we’ll update you if that happens.

Keyworkers

We’ll allocate a keyworker to you. They’re the main point of contact for you and your family/carers.

Your keyworker will organise a family meeting within the first few weeks of your admission. This is an opportunity for you and your family/carers to sit down with the team and to hear the findings of their assessment and your progress to date. At this point we’ll agree an estimated discharge date.

Goal setting

In the first 2 weeks your keyworker will complete a goals questionnaire with you. Your family/carers will have one to complete too.

This helps the team understand you as an individual, what your expectations are and to help create realistic and meaningful goals for your admission. Together with your team you’ll set 2 goals to work towards each week that act as stepping stones towards your longer-term goals.

Discharge planning

This is an estimated date and may be brought forward or extended by the team as appropriate. It may change and we’ll discuss this in your family/carers meetings.

You’ll continue rehabilitation when you get home and may need adaptations to make things fully accessible. This might not happen in time for your discharge and we may recommend an interim solution.

If you can’t return to your previous home, we’ll support you and your family/carers through this process. This might include providing essential equipment, or making referrals for ongoing care or community rehabilitation.

Who will look after you

This includes:

  • consultants and doctors for medical care and any investigations you may need
  • nursing staff and healthcare assistants to promote your independence with all aspects of personal care
  • occupational therapists to help you overcome difficulties in self-care and daily living activities
  • physiotherapists to help improve your movement control and mobility, and prevent stiffness through posture management and exercise
  • speech and language therapists to improve your ability to communicate or swallow
  • dietitians to make sure you’re getting the right food and fluid requirements
  • psychologists to help with emotional and behavioural impacts, as well as cognitive skills such as memory, concentration and problem solving abilities following a brain injury.

How long you’ll stay with us

This varies depending on everyone’s individual needs. On average, patients stay on the unit from 6 to 8 weeks.

Sometimes, you may notice rapid progress. At times, even with everyone’s best efforts, improvements might be slow or not happen at all. During your stay, we’ll help you reflect on whether continuing in this environment is still beneficial for you.

We use clear goals and regular outcome measures so you can track the impact of your rehabilitation. When you reach your goals, stop making progress, or no longer feel motivated, it’s a good sign that inpatient rehabilitation should come to an end and you can return to everyday life.

Evidence shows that people tend to achieve the best results when they resume living in their community as soon as it’s practical.

During your stay

We usually allocate an hour for each therapy session, but most sessions will be 45 minutes. This allows therapists time to complete admin tasks associated with your session.

The type of therapy you’ll have will depend on your individual needs.

The therapy team will identify your needs and determine how often we need to see you to help you achieve your goals. The therapy team will give you a timetable which outlines your sessions on a daily basis.

Occasionally we may need to re-arrange sessions at short notice.

As well as therapy sessions, you can expect regular mealtimes, and coffee/tea breaks. We’ll give you individual menus for midday and evening meals 24 hours in advance. Tell us if you have any special dietary needs.

There are 17 neurorehabilitation beds. The ward has 3 bays, 5 side rooms and an independence suite. We reserve single rooms for patients with specialist medical needs. We take patients from local hospitals and those who live within Buckinghamshire.

Your bed number may change and you need to move rooms during your stay. This is to help with infection control and other ward management issues.

Most of your therapy will be away from your bedside. We have a therapy gym, kitchen, hydrotherapy pool and clinic rooms where these sessions take place. Your therapists will often collect you from your bedspace and take you there. As you progress we may ask you to meet your therapist at a specific place.

There’s a large day room which has comfortable seating and areas for exercise, dining, games, music and watching TV. There’s a garden off the day room which you can use during the day.

You can bring in your own TV, but it must pass an electrical test before you can use it. Ask us team if you want to do this.

Bring comfortable, practical clothes and shoes which you can easily move in.

Avoid flip flops, slippers or backless shoes as we don’t recommend them. Bring shoes with a good grip that you can exercise in, for example trainers. We may ask you to buy new shoes during your admission to accommodate any orthotics which the therapists may provide.

Clearly mark any items of clothing to avoid loss.

Please bring your own toiletries to use during your stay.

Ask family and friends to help with laundry as there are no laundry facilities on site. We have access to hospital pyjamas and nighties if needed.

You can bring and use your mobile device but the signal can be poor at times. Please respect others when using your phone as bedrooms are a quiet area for sleeping. If you’re watching videos or programmes use headphones as a courtesy to other patients.

There’s free wi-fi in the hospital.

Tell your keyworker if you’re having problems staying in touch with your family and friends due to difficulties accessing a phone or the internet.

Preparing for discharge

Your occupational therapist may do an assessment of your home environment. Nearing the date of your discharge you may also need an assessment of how you are you at home.

You may need equipment to help you go home. Your local borough  provides medical equipment which your occupational therapist can request for you. If you need carer support at home your therapy team will discuss it with you.

An occupational therapist can assess you during your stay if you need a wheelchair for long term use.

Patient information

Contact us

Bucks Neuro Rehabilitation Unit, Amersham Hospital
Bucks Neuro Rehabilitation Unit, Amersham Hospital

01494 734102

Visiting times are 3pm to 8pm everyday.