REHABILITATION facilities at the Hospital’s Plémont Ward are not adequate for stroke survivors and full services need to be reinstated at Overdale’s Samarès Ward, according to a charity.
Jacqui Cuthbert, from the Stroke Association Jersey, said the current offerings at the General Hospital ‘lack space and privacy’ for patients to have conversations with therapists and family members.
The charity’s calls come after Health Minister Richard Renouf said there was no need to reconsider moving the Island’s rehabilitation services back to Samarès Ward. He said that transferring the service back to the facility at Overdale would cause more ‘disruption’ and only be ‘temporary’ due to the buildings being demolished to make way for the new hospital.
Earlier this month, Senator Steve Pallett said he would be lodging a proposition to immediately reinstate the Island’s rehabilitation services at Samarès Ward. He also called for a ‘temporary purpose-built’ facility to be constructed, while the ward at Overdale was demolished to make way for the new hospital.
A petition launched by Jean Lelliott which called for the new hospital to have the same equipment and specialist staff that used to be based at what she called the ‘world-class’ Samarès Ward has received more than 1,400 signatures.
The facility had 28 beds for people needing physical rehabilitation, but last year the Health Department closed the ward and opened 12 beds in Plémont Ward with shorter stays provided. Mrs Cuthbert said that while some stroke survivors received support at home, others required therapy and dedicated support in ‘bedded rehab settings’.
‘The current facilities are not adequate, they lack space and privacy for stroke survivors to have conversations with therapists or family members on deeply personal matters,’ she said.
‘Staff on the stroke ward do an amazing job but are then faced with the pressure of making the difficult decision to send people home when they really need continuing care in a hospital environment.
‘In some cases people are going back to homes which are unsuitable for their disabilities, where the lack of therapy means they are more likely to develop psychological problems, and where their ability to make the best possible recovery from their stroke is reduced.
‘As a charity dedicated to stroke, we want to work closely with the Health Minister and his team to look at how we can improve the whole stroke pathway from prevention through to rehab and life after stroke to ensure that people get the right support for the long-term effects of living with stroke.’
Malcolm Ferey, chief executive of brain injury charity Headway Jersey, said: ‘We are really concerned about the situation, particularly for those who have suffered a stroke or brain injury and currently use the Island’s rehabilitation services. The closure of Samarès Ward has put a strain on other areas of the service and after speaking with people who have been impacted by the move to Plémont Ward, we would advocate for a move back to Samarès.’
