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Standards

Standards for referral of Acute Spinal Cord Injury to the National Spinal Injury Centre (NSIC) at Stoke Mandeville

Following a South England Review to develop key standards for each of the three hospitals providing surgery and rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injury the National Spinal Injuries Centre changed its philosophy to accommodate necessary changes in service access and delivery.

An agreed key standard was to aim to receive 85% new injuries within 24 hours of injury. While this was signed up to it was also acknowledged that the receiving hospital for that new injury may not know or recognise the need to refer to a dedicated Spinal Injuries Centre. In acknowledgment of this the NSIC monitors time between spinal injury and referral to the Centre and the time between referral and admission to the Centre.

Standards for Paediatric Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injured Children

As part of the South England review a key standard seen as a priority for centres admitting children was to have dedicated and secure facilities. A children’s spinal injury rehabilitation ward was opened in April 2004 after Sir James Savile Trust funded the full refurbishment of St Francis ward, providing a dedicated, secure and child friendly environment for our paediatric patients.