400 Section - Improving Regional Spinal Cord Injury Pathways for the Opening of the National Rehabilitation Centre

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

MJ

Matthew Jackson, MD

Dr Matthew Jackson
Nottingham University Hospitals
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

JH

Javvad Haider, MD

Consultant in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
National Rehabilitation Center
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

Objectives : This project evaluated the spinal cord injury (SCI) pathway within Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) to support development of a streamlined regional pathway ahead of the opening of the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC). Understanding diagnostic patterns, patient flows, and variation in length of stay (LOS) was essential for identifying opportunities to improve access to specialist rehabilitation.

Design: All patients with a recognised SCI who were discharged from NUH between 15 November 2024 and 11 June 2025 were included. Data was collected on diagnosis, pathway through NUH, discharge destination, and LOS. Additional analysis was performed for patients admitted to Linden Lodge, including final inpatient (IP) destination and LOS.

Results:

Seventy-one patients were identified. The most common diagnoses were Cauda Equina Syndrome (n=24), fracture/dislocation (n=20), and infective causes (n=6). Discharge destinations were: home (n=34), repatriation to another acute hospital (n=10), Sheffield Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC) (n=7), Linden Lodge (n=7), and death (n=13).

Mean LOS on the acute ward varied substantially: repatriation 51.75 days, SCIC 48.43 days, Linden Lodge 38.25 days, home 14.11 days, and RIP 12.38 days.

Twelve patients were admitted to Linden Lodge. Of these, 7 remained as their final IP destination, 4 transferred to Sheffield, and 1 was repatriated. For patients whose final destination was Linden Lodge, the average total IP stay was 111.4 days (LiLo LOS 75.9 days).

Conclusion: This project highlighted significant variation in SCI pathways and demonstrated delays in accessing specialist rehabilitation, particularly for patients requiring transfer to a SCIC. Mapping current practice enabled clear identification of pathway bottlenecks and informed discussions with regional stakeholders. This analysis directly contributed to agreements enabling access to NRC beds for patients awaiting Sheffield admission and establishing a structured repatriation pathway from Sheffield to the NRC. These changes will support more timely, coordinated, and regionally equitable SCI care as the NRC becomes operational.