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Aims: In the acute hospital setting, rehabilitation issues arising from neurological complications in patients on the medical and surgical wards are common. This article describes the work of one multidisciplinary, highly expert neurological rehabilitation team, which is available to advise and treat patients in a large teaching hospital in the UK, during one calendar year. Methods: The development of the service, its staff and the interventions that the team employs are described. A review of the data from medical records of all patients referred to the team in the period 1st January to 31st December 2006 is then presented. These data were anonymised and extracted from patient notes using a standardized proforma, and include information on referral, initial diagnosis, rehabilitation interventions and subsequent discharge/transfer. Findings: Sixty-one patients were seen. Their age ranged from 15 to 87 years with equal gender distribution. The dominant users of the team were surgery, respiratory medicine, intensive care and infectious diseases. Fifteen patients presented with new neurological conditions and 17 patients developed neurological conditions during their inpatient stay (stroke, critical care illness and other rare diagnoses). Twenty-nine patients had established neurological disabilities, and the enforced inactivity of admission threatened their precarious independence. Conclusions: The team was instrumental in addressing key quality requirements of the UK National Service Framework for people with Long Term Neurological Conditions. Their contribution to better discharges, earlier discharges and the patients' 'quality of life' was viewed by staff involved with the patients as significant. Further rigorous research is required to quantify these improvements further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community rehabilitation is a well established and valuable part of the service response to the needs of people with long-term conditions. The authors explored the value of a Leeds-based community rehabilitation programme, before more formal evaluation, through two case reports of people living with long-term neurological conditions. Interventions were delivered not only in patients' homes and an outpatient rehabilitation department, but also in a facility where patients can stay overnight and access 24-hour nursing support and daily therapy input. This facility is not present in many parts of the country Two women with a range of impairments received complex multidisciplinary interventions, incorporating repeated systematic analyses of problems by various combinations of professionals, with treatment delivered over several consecutive days across several rehabilitation disciplines. The particular benefit of the short period of focused inpatient treatment, where sustained interventions are given simultaneously by staff with complementary skills to enhance an individual's function and maximize the gains provided by other parts of the service, is highlighted. These cases illustrate how a range of interventions, including short inpatient admissions, can be provided in a community setting to enhance participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which examined the usefulness of a proposed classification system for home-based rehabilitation services for people with stroke. Methods; Results; Discussion. INSET: COMMENTARIES.