Introduction

The Oxfordshire Stroke Rehabilitation Unit (OSRU) is a 20-bed inpatient unit based at Abingdon Community Hospital.

It provides specialist rehabilitation for people who have suffered an acute stroke, and who are registered with a GP in Oxfordshire.

Following admission, an assessment will be carried out by the multi-disciplinary team.

This may include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, a dietitian, speech and language therapist and psychologist. This is based on individual needs.

Medical team

The medical team on the unit is led by a consultant gerontologist, supported by a team of other doctors.

They are available from Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm with out-of-hours cover provided outside of these times.

Rehabilitation therapy

After assessment, rehabilitation goals and a treatment plan will be developed.

This will include a provisional weekly timetable detailing individual and group therapy sessions Monday to Friday, with some cover from occupational therapy and physiotherapy over the weekend.

Research shows increased practice of tasks leads to better outcomes, so we encourage self-management with support from family and friends outside of scheduled therapy sessions.

Family and friends are also welcome to attend therapy sessions when appropriate.

The nursing team is an integral part of the rehabilitation process, helping individuals to achieve their goals and encourage and support independence in carrying out activities of daily living.

This includes personal care, washing, dressing, continence, mobility, feeding and taking medications.

Rehabilitation folder

Each patient will be set up with a rehabilitation folder.

This contains goals with activities and exercises to work towards, as well as information about their stroke and services people can access following discharge.

It may also include information and instructions from the dietitian and the speech and language therapist.

Discharge planning

A ‘Goal Planning’ meeting is usually arranged within the first week of admission to OSRU to discuss progress to date and discharge planning.

These are usually held mid-morning or afternoon and can be attended remotely.

Most patients are safe and ready to be discharged from OSRU approximately four weeks after admission. However, this will be assessed based on individual needs and discharge destination.

To help complete a thorough assessment, family/friends will be asked to provide information about the patient’s home environment, which could include photographs and measurements.

To help support discharge, we may also ask that you facilitate rearranging furniture, receiving deliveries or equipment, and organising support for domestic tasks such as shopping and cleaning.

During someone’s stay on OSRU, the team will work to understand someone’s 24-hour care needs. This will help to develop a plan of how this could be managed on discharge.

Patients will usually be discharged home with an initial package of care (if required) where their needs will be reassessed by the community team.

Rehabilitation will continue after your discharge to help you achieve your longer-term goals.

The OSRU therapy team will be able to advise you of any services and charities that you can link into for ongoing input in the community.

Mealtimes

Meals on OSRU are served at the approximate times:

• Breakfast: 8:00am
• Lunch: 12:00pm
• Dinner: 5:30pm

Drinks and snacks are available to patients throughout the day.

Breakfast and dinner are served at bedside, with the lunchtime meal being served in the Day Room.

Whilst there may be occasions where individuals cannot go to the Day Room, this is encouraged as it forms part of therapy and contributes to recovery.

We operate a protected mealtime policy. This means that whilst patients are having their meals, all non-essential activities on the ward will stop to reduce interruptions.

The nurses, ward assistants and nutrition assistants will be available to help those patients who require extra support with eating and drinking during these times.

We kindly ask that visitors speak to the ward coordinator about whether it would be beneficial to be present during mealtimes.

Often, those who have had a stroke can experience difficulties around eating and drinking due to altered swallow and cognition.

Therefore, having fewer people present can help reduce distractions and allows for a calmer environment for patients to eat and drink.

Bringing food onto the ward

To minimise the risk of food related infections, the Trust policy is that no food, other than that which has been listed in the booklet ‘Bringing food into hospital’, should be brought onto the ward.

This booklet can be found in your admissions pack and at the entrance to the ward in the leaflet rack.

In exceptional circumstances, where the hospital is unable to meet the nutritional needs of an individual and after all other avenues have been explored, then other items may be brought in on agreement with the ward staff.

We ask that all food items brought onto the ward for patients, including those that are listed in the booklet, are disclosed to the nurse on arrival so that they can ensure it is safe and appropriate for them to consume.

This includes checking that the food is the correct texture as recommended by the speech and language therapist, is allergen free (if someone has any reported allergies) and does not interact with any of their new medications that they may be on.

Personal items

Oxford Health cannot be held responsible for any loss of personal belongings. Valuables can be stored in the hospital safe if necessary.

We encourage patients to wear their own home clothing on the ward and a small wardrobe is provided for storage.

Supportive shoes such as trainers or slippers with backs are recommended.

Wherever possible, please ensure clothes are taken home for laundry and restocked regularly.

Visitors

Visiting times to the ward is from 11:00am to 8:00pm

We kindly ask that visitor numbers are limited to two people at the patient’s bedside at any one time.

Smoking policy

The Trust operates a ‘No Smoking’ policy at all sites. We kindly ask for your co-operation with this.

How to get here

Travelling by car

There are pay and display parking bays on site, but the parking spaces can be limited at peak times so you may wish to travel by other means if you are able to.

Travelling by bus

The X1 and X2 bus lines stop near Abingdon Community Hospital.  The closest bus stops are as follows:

• Hospital Community Hospital, Abingdon: 2 min walk
• Victoria Road, Abingdon: 11 min walk
• Spring Road, Abingdon: 12 min walk

For more information on bus routes and timetabling, please visit the Oxford Bus Company website: www.oxfordbus.co.uk

OSRU contact details

Our team can be contacted via the numbers below.

• Reception desk: 01865 904 020
• Ward Manager: 01865 904 259
• Nurses Station: 01865 904 293
• Therapy gym (physiotherapy/occupational therapy): 01865 904 922
• Doctors/Speech and language therapy/dietetics: 01865 904 430

To support staff in their delivery of care please avoid calling at the following times:

• Breakfast (8:00am to 9:00am)
• Lunch (12:00pm to 1:30pm)
• Dinner (5:30pm to 7:00pm)

Useful contacts

The Stroke Association

Website: www.stroke.org.uk

Headway

Website: https://www.headway.org.uk/

Age UK

Website: www.ageuk.org.uk

League of friends

Website: www.leagueoffriends.co.uk

Stroke Patient group

This local group provides an opportunity for patients to comment and influence the stroke pathway, care, and research. If you are interested in joining, then please contact Rachel Teal for more information.

Email: rachel.teal@ndm.ox.ac.uk

Phone: 01865 221 921

Website: www.ouh.nhs.uk/services/departments/neurosciences/stroke/

Concerns or complaints

We aim to provide you with a high-quality service at all times.

However, if you have any concerns, complaints or comments about our service then please tell a member of the team.

Alternatively, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) freephone on: 0800 328 7971.