Portland Ward: Neurological Assessment and Specialist Rehabilitation Unit

Portland Ward is a medical ward with nine Neurological and five Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) beds. Occasionally we may have rheumatology patients. The ward is divided into two teams: Yellow Team and Blue Team.

Portland Ward has a large day room and a garden for patients and relatives to use. On arrival you will be allocated a bed in either a bay or a side room. However, it may be necessary to move beds according to the varying needs of patient care, infection control or video telemetry.

The unit has gained accreditation as a Practice Development Unit (PDU).

Contact details

Ward leader 0300 019 2537 / 0300 019 8032

ABI Specialist Nurse 0300 019 8957 / 0300 019 8032

Ward Clerks 03000198957

Nurse Station 0300 019 8032

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) rehabilitation service at Poole Hospital

A brain injury is a common health problem. It can happen to anyone. The injury can range from a bump on the head, which may leave minimal longterm damage, to a major injury, which can change all areas of a person’s life.

People with a severe brain injury may experience a range of difficulties and disabilities. This will affect all members of that person’s family. Everyone’s brain injury and recovery is different; therefore, the rehabilitation process and outcomes will vary considerably from person to person.

The inpatient Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service at University Hospitals Dorset rehabilitates people with severe brain injuries. The team consists of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and psychologists. The whole team ensures that a person’s physical, emotional and social rehabilitation needs are met.

When you are admitted to the inpatient service you will be assessed by the whole team and allocated a keyworker. You will be provided with a rehabilitation programme guided by your own, personal goals. Within the first four weeks of your rehabilitation, a review meeting will be arranged.

Keyworker

To ensure that everyone is supported during your inpatient stay, a keyworker is allocated at the beginning of your rehabilitation programme. The keyworker provides a single point of contact for you and your family members, and communicates guidance regarding your rehabilitation.

Goal setting

To help monitor your progress during your rehabilitation, guidance is provided to help set long and short-term goals. This will help therapists to know what is important to you and what you would like to achieve. Long-term goals are set for your full length of stay. Short-term goals are set for a six week period. This is usually from one review meeting to the next review meeting.

If you are rapidly improving you may be admitted for an assessment period only.

Review meetings

Review meetings are held on the ward, usually every six weeks, during your rehabilitation stay at Poole. They are co-ordinated by the keyworker. Before each meeting, the keyworker will contact you and your family to see if there are any questions or concerns about your treatment programme.

Where possible, a therapist from each discipline and a doctor attend each meeting. Every member of the team provides a summary of your progress and discusses future goals and treatment programmes. At the end of the review meeting a date is set for the next review meeting, if required.

Following the review meeting, the keyworker provides a written summary of the meeting for you and your family, as well as a copy of your goals.

Observation of therapy sessions

When the therapists have completed their assessments with you, there may be opportunities for family members to observe your therapy sessions. Please discuss this with your keyworker and they can co-ordinate this with the therapists involved.

Please be aware that staff are unable to provide information that is confidential in nature over the telephone. We ask that you do not telephone the ward (unless urgent) between 7 am and 11 am for routine enquiries as we are undertaking management of patient care. We are happy to take calls after this time. Your cooperation will be very much appreciated.

Personal belongings

We advise that personal belongings of high value or large sums of money are not brought into the ward. The hospital does not take responsibility for the safety of belongings for those patients who wish to keep them with them, a hospital safe is available for those patients who do not have relatives to take these items home or who are unable to consent to taking responsibility for their possessions. We ask that if you take an item home from your relative than please inform the nursing staff so that this can be recorded.

Useful ward information:

• Please bring in or provide day and nightwear, toiletries and appropriate footwear. Patients are encouraged to dress during the day as part of their rehabilitation.

Lounge, garden and television

• Mobile phones: check with sister or senior nurse on duty prior to use
• Doors are controlled with use of swipe card and at times restricted entrance
• Flowers not permitted
• Facilities may be available for carers or family members to stay, please check with sister, or senior staff on duty.
• Please do not visit if you have had any diarrhoea or sickness in the last 72 hours, or have cough/cold symptoms.

Consultant ward rounds

Neurology: every Wednesday at 10 am

ABI: every Thursday at 2pm

Meals

Meal times are protected and all meals will be served in the day room where individual needs will be accommodated. This environment promotes a suitable physical and social setting to prepare you for your discharge.

Clinical reasons are the only exception for not eating in the day room.

Permission must be granted by your consultant, charge nurse or the senior nurse-on-duty.

Please speak to a member of staff if you have any queries or concerns during your stay with us. We are here to help make your stay a pleasant one.

Visiting times

We have set visiting times which are 2-5pm and 6–8pm. One nominated person per hour slot which is to be booked prior to the visit and no plants or flowers please. We request that visiting times are adhered to. Outside of these hours, permission will be required from the charge nurse or the senior nurse-on-duty.

This allows us to provide care and for our patients to rest. Recently, our visiting times have had to alter due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and requirements around infection control.

For the most up to date information, please read the visitor guidance here.

How to find us

Portland Ward is situated on Level 0 in the Eddie Hawker Wing, green zone. View map.

Parking

A multi-storey car park is situated on the main hospital site, the entrance to which is on Longfleet Road (a covered walkway from the car park (level G) leads to the main hospital). The payment terminal for the multi-storey is in the main entrance and accepts coins, notes or credit / debit cards. Payment may also be made at the security/ car parks office which is also located in the main entrance next to reception (card only). Please make sure that you make payment before returning to your vehicle. The car parking office is in the main entrance next to the hospital reception. Motorcycles can be parked for free of charge in the designated motorcycle parking areas.

If your visiting is extended over a number of days due to special circumstances you may be entitled to a reduction in car park fees. To enquire about your entitlement please contact the ward staff who can give you a form (at the discretion of the Nurse in Charge) for you to complete and take to the Car Park Manager in the Car Park Office of the main entrance of Poole Hospital.

WIFI

Free Wi-Fi is now available to patients and visitors to the hospital, kindly funded by the Poole Hospital Charity. It can be accessed with the following steps:

• Turn your devices Wi-Fi on
• Select ‘NHS Wi-Fi’ from the available networks list
• Open your browser and follow the on screen instructions to register or log on.
• Enjoy your free Wi-Fi.

Our performance

If you would like to see how we are performing as a ward, you can do so here.

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