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DEFENCE MEDICAL REHABILITION CENTRE (DMRC) – HEADLEY COURT
Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN)
Treatment Coordination Warrant Officer (TCWO)
Transition! is possibly the most spoken word at DMRC these days with the move from Headley Court to Stanford Hall fast approaching. I think it’s safe to say transition has been high on everyone’s agenda.
So why is DMRC moving? Is the question I seem to be asked when I meet with those outside of the Headley Court bubble.
For years, DMRC Headley Court has been at the forefront of Defence Rehabilitation tertiary care, yet its infrastructure was never originally built for this purpose. The site was first purchased by the Institute of Chartered Auctioneers and Estate Agents who then presented the estate to the Royal Air Force who in turn opened the site as a rehabilitation centre for injured air crew in 1947. As rehabilitation centres across the county began to close in the 1990’s, Headley became a focal point for military rehabilitation.
Due to campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, expansions to the site were deemed necessary. The increase in complex trauma patients required additional clinical areas and infrastructure to be built at great speed. This relied on pre-fabricated buildings being built under the constraints of not only time, but local planning permission. In 2014, it was decided that a new Defence Rehabilitation Centre would be built for the betterment of the current service available. Therefore, Stanford Hall was selected to host the new state of the art purpose built facility.
The Grade 2 listed building ‘Stanford Hall’ will sit at the heart of the new site and will become the main messing facility for permanent staff. Located adjacent to this grand building will be the new complex. From an ERI perspective, it stands to reason that the new site will provide new purpose built gymnasiums and clinical treatment areas for neurological, complex trauma and force generation rehabilitation. The real bonus here is that all the new gymnasiums will be under one roof! No longer will the patients and staff need to manoeuvre themselves between different areas. The new site will also have a 25m pool complete with hydrotherapy pool with water treadmill.
In addition to this and thinking “outside of the rehab box”, the new site will see an increase in patient accommodation and ward beds capable to deal with a potential surge in casualty numbers with an ability to see 15000 outpatients per year. From a more clinical perspective, the site will also host a diagnostic imaging centre for MRI, X Ray, DEXA, ultrasound and fluoroscopy and a new purpose built prosthetics department. When it comes to technology, they didn’t hold back. The new Specialist Performance Maximization Centre will hold the very latest in rehabilitation technology such as the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment otherwise known as (CAREN). CAREN is designed to create a virtual interactive world that can respond to the movements of the patient.
WO2 (QMSI) C Watson RAPTC
The Construction Site Stanford Hall, the new site has been built in the grounds of a grade 2 listed Georgian stately
manner at the cost of around £300 million
Alongside CAREN, there will be a specialist gait laboratory. This will provide biomechanical assessments by utilising an optical motion capture system and will use electronic sensors on the patient’s body which links to a sophisticated computer which then generates complex 3D reconstructions of a patients dynamic movements. Naturally our research and development team will be located very nearby.
It doesn’t end there, in the surrounding areas of the site it will have trim trail tracks that can also be used for hand bikes, an Astroturf sports complex, 300m running track, 6 hole golf course and picturesque gardens and water features.
Relocating Headley Court was never going to be easy, with 400 staff and 200 patients to take into consideration, the challenge has been taxing on all involved and as we quickly approach the hand over takeover of the front door keys, the work load is likely to increase. With that in mind, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of those who have been involved in the planning for transition up to this point. Those who have worked at DMRC in the past will appreciate the complexity of the move, we have been faced with challenges and adversity along the way yet we remain on track with our planning and preparations while still maintaining high quality clinical output.
Before long, it will be time to say goodbye to Headley Court which will be a sad day for many, it has been the pinnacle of Military Rehabilitation for so many years and has seen some excellent clinicians come and go. But it’s time for change and as we set our sights on Stanford Hall, I can honestly say that Defence Rehabilitation is about to embark on new and exciting times and in turn create a new history.
Key time-lines
April 2018 – handover of site to DMRC
July to August – Main body move to the new site and prepare working areas
September 2018 – First admissions of outpatients March 2019 – Full Operating Capability