Once a spinal cord lesion has been diagnosed, an immediate referral should be made by telephone to the Spinal-Cord Injury Centre immediately on 0844 8921915 to discuss the patient.
Complete an online referral via nww.spinalreferrals.nhs.uk (N.B. this is not a misprint and this website is only accessible from an NHS system.)
Implement appropriate treatment protocols in collaboration with the SCIC team.
Register every new spinal-cord injury on the database, whether or not suitable for transfer to SCIC.
Patients will be admitted as soon as they are fit for transfer and there is a bed available, subject to clinical priority. Patients referred within 24 hours of injury may be given priority for immediate admission.
Once a patient has been referred The Aute Outreach Service is initiated. This service is led by Spinal Nurse Practitioners Helen Aldridge and Elaine Gaffney who will provide a comprehensive telephone service and aim to undertake an outreach visit if the patient cannot be transferred within two weeks.
Contact details for The Acute Outreach Service:
- Helen Aldridge 01722 336262 Ext 2436 email : helen.aldridge@salisbury.nhs.uk
- Elaine Gaffney 01722 336262 Ext 2451 email: elaine.gaffney@salisbury.nhs.uk
Patients may be accepted for a short period of inpatient assessment and if they have limited rehabilitation potential they will be transferred back to the referring hospital, pending discharge to the community. We will also see some patients as a day case for assessment by the multidisciplinary team, this can be whilst still an inpatient at another hospital. Care staff are encouraged to attend on these occasions.
Patients Requiring Ventilation
The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment accepts patients requiring ventilatory support, both long term domicilary ventilation and those with potential to wean from invasive and non invasive forms of mechanical ventilation.
Patients admitted to The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre requiring full or assisted ventilation are not covered by service level agreements. For these patients, there will be an additional daily charge for both acute ventilator episodes and domiciliary ventilator patients. This purely reflects the additional cost to the provided of ventilation. The remaining cost of the patient’s admission will be covered by the agreement.
For patients requiring long-term domiciliary ventilation, specialist equipment will be needed. This is not included in this service level agreement and will require additional funding. The purchaser will be notified, as soon as possible, in the exceptional circumstances where ventilation equipment is required.
Services Not Normally Provided by the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre
- Progressive diseases of the central nervous system (including malignant disease involving the spinal cord)
- Cerebrovascular events
- Injuries to the brain, not including the spinal cord
- Cases of Spina Bifida
- Cerebral Palsy
- Patients with major mental health disorders which may interfere with physical treatment/rehabilitation, or those sectioned under the MHA
- Severe brain injury with a significant cognitive deficit or behavioural problems
- Those patients with co morbitities whcihmay affect their ability to undertake spinal rehabilitation
Those whose family/social support would make it difficult for them to commit to a lengthy admission to the spinal centre may be offered alternative options such as a multidisciplinary day assessment or planned short rehabilitaiton programme.