New technology trials for national rehab centre

NHS staff and patients have been "heavily involved" in the development of the technology

Technology that will be used at a new £105m NHS rehabilitation facility are being trialled at Nottingham's City Hospital.

Equipment tracking, artificially intelligent CCTV and voice-activated environmental controls are a number of new methods being tested at the City Hospital's Linden Lodge unit.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) said the trials were to ensure "the right technology is in place" before the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) opens its doors in Nottinghamshire in 2025.

Lisa Yates, digital strategy lead at NUH, said the new technology was designed to make the rehabilitation experience better for patients and staff.

“Until the technology has been implemented in a real, live, patient environment, we don’t fully know how they are going to work, and we need that feedback from patients and staff," she said.

The 70-bed unit will be staffed by experts from across the country

The 70-bed NRC is being built on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate, in Rushcliffe,and will help people recovering from serious injury and illness.

The new technology allows staff to use an app to identify where a piece of equipment is within the building, which rooms are in use and to book rooms and equipment.

Voice-activated environmental controls to support patient independence such as being able to open blinds, turn the lights on and off and additional rehabilitation exercises via games and apps are also being used.

The trust said staff and patients had been heavily involved in the development of these technologies to "make sure they meet their needs".

Linden Lodge ward manager Sarah Davies can access a digital map to view bookable rooms and resources

Sarah Davies, Linden Lodge ward manager, said the new CCTV system, which includes digital tripwires, has been an important addition in keeping patients safe.

“What we find is that a lot of our patients, because of their cognitive impairment, often try to abscond or leave the building", she said.

“In order to maintain their safety, at the moment we have to place a member of staff with that patient 24/7.

“By using the technologies, we can digitally prevent that abscond risk, but equally giving that patient more independence.”