Nottingham MP visits first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre at QMC

Nottingham MP visits first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre at QMC

Lilian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, visited Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), part of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), to meet the team that helps to rehabilitate children and young people who are recovering from brain injuries.

The service offered by the BRILL (Brain Injury Living Life) Team is the first of its kind in the UK and offers bespoke packages of care for children following acquired or traumatic brain injury. Providing early intensive rehabilitation, the service also provides supported discharge so that children can continue to improve at home in their own environment.

BRILL is a team of ten, and includes Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, a Consultant, a speech and language therapist, and a Clinical Psychologist.

QMC is a regional specialist centre for neuroscience for the East Midlands, and therefore the majority of young people in the region begin their neuro rehabilitation with the team.

Last year, the BRILL team received over 70 referrals from across the region.

Lilian recently spoke about childhood acquired brain injury (ABI) neurorehabilitation in Parliament, where she praised Nottingham’s BRILL Team for setting the standard for children’s neurorehabilitation services in the region. 

Lilian met with Dr Emily Bennett, NUH’s Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and spoke to patients and families both current and those who have already benefitted from the service as well as staff.

Following a tour of the facilities available to young neurorehabilitation patients and an opportunity to meet some of the patients helped by the team, Lilian said: “The BRILL Team is an incredible team that’s obviously making a huge difference to patients and families across the East Midlands.”

“To see the work that they do for children and their families is fantastic. I’m in awe hearing from patients and families first-hand about the difference that the team is making.”

Dr Bennett said: “Today’s visit was a great opportunity to show Lilian the important work that we are doing here to help children regain independence that might have been taken from them from illness or trauma. We are proud of the work that we are doing here and it’s a real privilege to be part of their rehab journey.”

“It’s wonderful that Lilian as a local MP is interested in the work that we’re doing and representing children and patients in Parliament. She’s been very interested in learning about the patients here that are so important to us.”

The BRILL Team was set up as a pilot in 2014, following an application to the hospital’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ programme. Their aim was to improve patient experience and to reduce patient stay in hospital, which was often extended so that they could continue with their rehabilitation. The team, who secured permanent funding in 2016, now support this journey at home.