47
total admissions
142
average length of stay
35-44 age group most represented
Falls the most common cause of admission
Spinal Injury Unit The Royal Rehab Spinal Injury Unit is renowned for enriching the lives of people who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), with the skills and confidence to live life as independently as possible. COVID-19 Response At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SIU team rapidly integrated various practices into its operations. The client transition journey from acute care at Royal North Shore Hospital to Royal Rehab was reviewed and updated with strict COVID-19 safety precautions. This review was designed to maximise infection control processes for clients and staff, while also further cementing Royal Rehab’s close connection with Royal North Shore Hospital. During April, following much discussion and collaboration with our partners — Northern Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Local Health District — Royal Rehab began playing an important role in the NSW Ministry of Health’s business continuity plans around the pandemic. As Royal Rehab welcomed patients from Royal North Shore Hospital, occupational therapists and physiotherapists from the Spinal Injury Unit were deployed to roles in Royal Rehab Private Hospital to support clients recently discharged from acute facilities. 22 |
Streamlined Operations, Improved Output The SIU team continued to review practices and systems as part of the continuous improvement approach focused on resource output and client satisfaction. A significant element to this work was the continued efforts of the team to streamline the NDIS documentation process. One of the ways this was initiated was through the work of the SIU Social Work Team, which successfully led the effort to integrate a system of pre-planning meetings to better prepare clients for their NDIS planning meetings. This allowed an opportunity for final multidisciplinary review of documentation prior to submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The SIU occupational therapy team refined their upper limb assessment tool to create consistency and improve handover communication between clinicians.
