Nursing & Medical Services | External Multio-Disciplinary Team | Physiotherapy | Occupational Therapy | Speech & Language Services | Additional Therapy Services
Nursing and Medical Services
Marillac Neurological Care Centre provides high dependency and specialist neurological nursing and rehabilitation care for residents with acquired and progressive brain injuries and spinal cord injuries which includes:
- Tracheostomy care/management/and onsite weaning
- Diabetes Management and Bowel Management
- Catheter Care: Subra-Pubic, Male and Female Catheterisation
- Non-invasive ventilation
- Wound Care
- Respiratory Care
- Gastrostomy (PEG) Care, Jejunostomy (PEJ) Care and Radiologically Inserted Gastrostomy (RIG) Care
- Syringe Driver
- Phlebotomy and Venepuncture
MNCC has 3 residential units: St Catherine’s, St Louise’s, St Vincent’s and 3 step-down bungalows. All units have a skilled and experienced team of Unit Managers, Registered General Nurses, Registered Nursing Associates and Health Care Assistants. Each unit has a high staff to resident ratio, ensuring residents are treated in a timely, professional and expert manner.
All planned care is person-centred, tailored, appropriate and completed by the nursing team, care staff, residents and/or representatives to ensure all health and holistic needs are met and followed by scheduled periodic reviews.
External Multi-Disciplinary Team
We have a GP that visits MNCC twice a week and a Consultant Neurologist that visits every 8 weeks forming part of our resident multi-disciplinary team.
External Community Services - provide specialist care/support with the following:
- Diabetic Nurses
- Enternal Feeding: Community Dieticians and Fresenius Kabi
- Epilepsy Nurses
- Tissue Viability
- Optical
- Dental
- Podiatry
- Palliative Care
- End of Life Care
Physiotherapy
Our team of Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Assistants have broad experience in Neuro Physiotherapy. The team provides expert assessment, advice, treatment and management across a wide range of neurological conditions, where mobility has been affected.
Through a range of supportive interventions, the team can support:
- Impairment based therapy targeting movement, muscle control, gait and balance and coordination.
- Exercise programs that support movement, muscle strengthening, range of motion and function, and prevent deterioration caused by spasticity and pain.
- Access to Wheelchair Services where appropriate, to support provision of safe seating equipment.
- Access to NHS orthotics services, regarding the provision of splints and aids to reduce spasticity.
- Access to NHS Botulinum Toxin clinics, as a means of reducing spasticity.
- Access to specialist equipment including (not limited to): Easy Stand standing frame, tilt table, Therabike static bike, walking harness with XY ceiling track and passive upper and lower limb bikes.
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapy team take a holistic approach; considering both the mental and physical health of an individual alongside their independence and wellbing.
Our intervention strategies include (not limited to):
- Support with activities of daily living (ADLs), including eating and drinking, dressing, showering, and bathing, cooking, and maintaining home.
- Exercise programs to improve movement and prevent weakness and/or spasticity across upper limbs.
- Social reintegration, including shopping in the community, accessing coffee shops and community environments, exploring vocation where appropriate for the patient.
- Impairment based support regarding cognition, executive dysfunction, and orientation.
- Environmental controls, which allows patients to retain independence of their environment through adapted devices that allow them to, for example, call for help or assistance, control entertainment systems such as TV's, radio devices, making and receiving phone calls etc.
- Establish a toileting routine alongside the nursing team, implementing the use of commodes where appropriate.
- Home assessment and reports where indicated, taking into consideration safety and independence within the patient's home or discharge into the community.
Speech and Language Therapy
The Speech and Language Therapy deparment delivers interventions for communication and dysphagia (swallowing) impairments.
Communication intervention involves:
- Impairment-based interventions for the following:
- Expressive and receptive language difficulties (Aphasia)
- Motor speech disorders (Apraxia of Speech & Dysarthia)
- Cognitive Communication Disorder
- Compensatory interventions using high and low tech AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), including external referrals to CASEE (Communication Aid Service East of England) for eligibility assessments of high-tech devices.
Dysphagia intervention involves:
- Frequent, ongoing swallowing assessments involving mealtime observations.
- Oral trials involving:
- Modified diet & fluid consistencies using the IDDSI model.
- Adaptive equipment and cutlery.
Additional Therapy Services
Music Therapy
Our residents who receive Music Therapy are seen for weekly sessions, either individually or as part of a group. The purpose of Music Therapy is not necessarily to teach music, but to help support the development of interaction, communication, cognition and sensory/motor skills or to help maintain emotional wellbeing.
Research has proven that music activates every area of the brain meaning, it can be an important element to an individual’s therapy. Music’s powerful ability to stimulate the brain means more cells wire together and therefore, create and strengthen brain pathways. This phenomenon means music can by pass damaged parts of the brain and re-establish new pathways. An individual’s speech goals, sensory and motor skills can be benefitted by music therapy.
Music Therapy can help with communication and cognitive skills such as: attention and listening, social skills and physical skills as well as self-awareness and self-confidence.
Psychology
Our Psychology Service is dedicated to personalising care according to the unique physical, psychological, emotional and social needs of each resident and their relatives/friends. Treatments are oriented in a holistic way - so that the often-differing needs of patients and their families are addressed. For residents, their journey tends to be ever-changing and lead to increasing awareness and ability. Reductions in social disability, and improvements in social participation, mental health and quality of life are increasingly valued as more than just the distal outcomes of rehabilitation.
However, improved awareness is often connected to an increase in negative emotions as patients cognitively engage with what has happened to them. This can be distressing for everybody and can lead to depression, anxiety and profound sadness in residents and families. We offer supportive 1:1 individual therapy and family therapy during this very difficult time. The Psychology Service also offers support to all staff members - who can often be profoundly affected by the suffering of residents and families.
