Plymouth nurse spearheads rehab campaign

Kate Tantam is asking for the government to take action

An intensive care nurse from Plymouth is fronting a nationwide campaign calling for rehabilitation services to be made available to all.

Kate Tantam wants those recovering from illness or injury, to get rehabilitation help regardless of where they live.

Currently, not all trusts have teams of specialists working together to help patients recover, she said.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

Ms Tantam is calling on the government to take action, to ease pressure on the NHS.

"We're campaigning for access to rehabilitation services for every patient in the UK, and a rehabilitation strategy in every hospital," she said.

"We know that rehabilitation reduces length of stay [in hospital].

"We know that it increases functional outcomes, and improves health-related quality of life."

Ms Tantam added: "The challenge is, we don't have any data to be able to prove the patchiness of rehabilitation services."

The campaign, Rehab Legends, is supported by more than 20 healthcare charities, royal colleges and professional help bodies.