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Once a spinal cord lesion has been diagnosed, an immediate referral should be made by telephone to the on call spinal injuries consultant who will discuss management and suitability for transfer to the spinal treatment centre. The Spinal Medical Consultants provide 24 hour cover for medical care and advice. Telephone 01722 336262 extension 2430
This call should be followed-up by the referring doctor completing the referral form and faxing it to 01722 336550. A copy of this form can be downloaded for printing and subsequent completion here (as a pdf).
Patients will be admitted as soon as they are fit for transfer and there is a bed available, subject to clinical priority. Traumatic cases will be admitted as a priority, over patients with non-traumatic spinal cord lesions, if possible within 24 hours.
The multi-disciplinary Spinal Centre team is available on the telephone to advise and support on the management of the patient prior to admission to the Centre.
It may be possible for members of the team to visit the referring hospital if transfer is likely to be delayed and there are specific management problems, especially for those on a ventilator.
Patients requiring or potentially requiring ventilation will be accepted subject to the availability of an Intensive Therapy Unit bed.
Patients may be referred from other hospitals or from General Practitioners for further rehabilitation, surgery or outpatient review.
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
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 WHICH WILL NOT NORMALLY BE PROVIDED BY THE DUKE OF CORNWALL SPINAL TREATMENT CENTRE
Treatment of patients with the following diseases will not usually be provided by the Spinal Centre, and their treatment is not included within this service agreement:
- Progressive diseases of the central nervous system (including malignant disease of the spinal cord)
- Cerebrovascular accidents
- Injuries to the brain, not including the spinal cord
- Spina Bifida
- Cerebral Palsy
- Patients with major psychiatric disorders which may interfere with physical treatment
- Severe head injury with a significant cognitive deficit or behavioural problems.
It is acknowledged that occasionally there may be patients in the above categories for whom the multi-disciplinary team at the Spinal Injuries Centre and referring doctor believe treatment would be appropriate.
