East Kent Neuro Rehab Unit (EKNRU), Kent and Canterbury Hospital

You have been accepted to the East Kent Neuro Rehab Unit, and are now on the waiting list for a bed.  The following information will help to prepare you and your family for what will happen when you arrive on the unit.

We hope this leaflet answers some of the questions you may have. If you have any further questions or concerns, please speak to a member of your healthcare team.

What is the East Kent Neuro Rehab Unit?

• The East Kent Neuro Rehab Unit is based at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. 

• The unit has space for 19 patients. 

• There are four bays on the unit, each with four beds. Each bay has a shower room and toilet, and there are three side rooms.

• There is a communal day room, where patients can have their meals and take part in group sessions.

• There is a lovely accessible garden, that patients and family can use.  

1. 
   Entrance to EKNRU
2. 
   Garden at Kent and Canterbury Hospital

• The therapy sessions are in a separate area called Tower Neuro Rehab, which includes:

  • a physiotherapy gym

  • occupational therapy treatment rooms

  • a kitchen

  • speech and language therapy and neuropsychology treatment rooms

Frequently asked questions

• How long will I need to stay on the unit?

  This depends on what brain / spinal injury you have, and how bad it is.  

  When you arrive on the unit the team will assess you. The team includes:

  • doctors

  • nurses

  • physiotherapists

  • occupational therapists

  • speech and language therapists

  • neuropsychologists

  • dietitians

  The assessment will help us see what you can and cannot do, and set up your treatment plans / goals. 

  After your assessment we will have a better idea of how long you are likely to need the help of the unit and its staff. We will discuss this with you and your family. Estimated discharge dates can change, and depend on a lot of things. It is best not to get too fixated on a particular date. To give you an idea, most patients have active rehabilitation and stay on the unit for around eight weeks.

• How much will I recover?

  Recovery is different for everyone. It is impossible to say how much recovery will be possible in this early stage. Research shows that recovery continues for years after an injury. People tend not to get back to exactly where they were before. However, we help them start their rehab journey, so they are well enough to carry on their rehab themselves at home.

  Some injuries or neurological conditions are so severe that recovery can plateau (where you have little or no change following a period of progress). In some cases they get worse. In these cases, we:

  • work with people to help give as much stability as possible; and

  • think ahead about ways to manage a patient’s future needs.

• Can my family visit me?

  Yes, we encourage it and have a visitor policy in place. Please ask our ward manager or one of the nurses about visitor times. We like to include family members in therapy sessions, so they learn about and can be involved in your care.  

  You may find that family visits can be quite draining in the early stages of your recovery. Make sure you tell your family how much you want them to visit and how long to stay for. This can prevent you from becoming burned out and too exhausted to do your rehab the next day.

• What will happen during my stay on the unit?  

  You will have a timetable of therapy sessions from Monday to Friday. We base the timetable on your individual needs. The therapy sessions may include:

  • physiotherapy

  • occupational therapy

  • speech and language therapy

  • neuropsychology 

  The therapy sessions may take place on the ward or in specific treatment rooms / physiotherapy gym.

• How will my family stay updated during my stay?

  • Your key worker will contact your next of kin during the first week. They will give them a point of contact and answer any immediate questions.

  • We will book a family meeting within the first four weeks. At this meeting we will discuss:

    • your referral

    • our assessment findings

    • your treatment plans and goals

    • your estimated discharge date

  • Your next of kin will get a copy of the notes taken in this meeting the following week.

  • We will invite your family to join a therapy session during the first four weeks. This helps them understand your difficulties better.

• What type of things should I try and have with me in hospital?

  • It is always good to have some comfortable lounge wear or pyjamas, that are easy to get on and off.

  • Your physiotherapist may also ask your family to bring in some trainers or suitable footwear for walking.

  • In the quieter moments you will need things to keep you busy or connected with loved ones. A mobile or tablet with their chargers can be handy, along with books or magazines.  Make sure you have some headphones so you can watch videos or listen to the radio, and any glasses or hearing aids.

  • Some people find an eye mask or comfortable earphones / earplugs help them sleep better at night, by tuning out background noise or light.

• What happens when I leave the unit?

  Planning for your discharge home is a joint and shared decision / process. The planning includes you, your team, and your family and friends.

  The hospital team will make sure you have everything set up for a safe discharge. You may need support to be at home safely, and we will decide this based on your abilities at that time.

  On discharge we will refer to your local community therapy team. This team will provide you with support (often in your own home) to meet any outstanding rehabilitation goals you may have. Unfortunately, some people’s care needs may be so high that they are not able to return home, at least in the short-term. Support around this time will be given, to start with from the ward team and the Rapid Transfer Team (RTS). The RTS support discharge and care on discharge from hospital.

Neurological injuries and rehabilitation

• Brain and spinal injuries

  Our brain:

  • does all our thinking, reasoning, and planning

  • stores memories

  • controls all our physical actions (such as walking, talking, hearing, seeing, eating, sleeping, and breathing)

  • controls all our feelings

  Our brain is our control centre. It is connected to the spinal cord, which is a network of nerves that sends messages to and from the brain. It is by far the most complicated and sophisticated system in the world.

  Brain injuries can include knocks to the head, strokes, and tumours. Long-term neurological conditions can include multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Both can happen to anyone. Sometimes these types of neurological injuries can change the whole pattern of a person’s life. They can change physical abilities, thinking skills, or emotional needs. Everyone who has had a brain injury has a different story to tell, and no two stories are alike.

  Injuries to the spinal cord can cause:

  • weakness or complete loss of muscle function

  • loss of feeling in the body below the level of injury (including loss of bladder and bowel control)

  Spinal cord injuries can be caused by:

  • accidents

  • degenerative changes in vertebrae

  • some kinds of infections

  Once you are medically stable, your road towards recovery or partial recovery starts.

• Neuro rehab

  We do not fully understand how the brain recovers its functioning. We know that brain tissue does not spring back into life. But we also know that brains do seem to recover in the first two years after injury. After that, their recovery tends to slow down. However, recovery continues for years (unless the neurological condition is known to be ‘progressive’).

  When your brain injury occurs, it is likely that parts of your brain that were not previously used for a particular task can be brought in to perform tasks previously performed by now damaged areas. New pathways and thinking routes are being opened up. It is a bit like if a big pothole appeared on the M1, a diversion or new route would need to be set up and put in place, so cars can have a new way to travel. Recovery and rehabilitation is all about finding those new routes. It is about practising them as much as possible, to get the traffic (or information) flowing again.

  Research shows that the brain heals more in an ‘enriched’ environment. For example one that has some complexity and encourages you to interact with others. That is why neuro rehab wards are different from hospital wards. They are a place where:

  • you have therapy sessions

  • you can practise tasks

  • we will encourage you to do as much for yourself as possible.

  Your rehabilitation does not just take place with therapists. You and your family also have a part to play in getting your brain back ‘online’.

• What does rehab involve?

  Rehab tends to involve the following processes:

  • Assessments to build up a good understanding of your current strengths and weaknesses (skills and deficits).

  • Planning realistic goals to work towards, to improve areas of weakness that we have identified.

  • Breaking goals down into achievable steps or skills.

  • Teaching, practising, repeating, learning and learning again those skills or small steps.

  • Providing stimulation to all your senses.

  • Finding barriers to motivation and encouraging participation in rehab activities.

  • Increasing awareness and insight, to improve your engagement in neuro rehab.

  • Providing aids, strategies, and techniques for managing impairments.

  • Supporting your family in their journey, feelings, and knowledge of brain injury.

  • Providing advice and support to help set up the next stage of your recovery, either at home or with further supported care.

• Who will be involved in my rehab?

  The people who will help you in your journey include:

  • nursing staff

  • health care assistants (HCAs)

  • doctors

  • occupational therapists

  • rehab assistants

  • speech and language therapists

  • physiotherapists

  • clinical psychologists

  • dietitians

Useful resources to help you and your family

• Inflammatory Neuropathies UK

• Headway: the brain injury association

• MS Society

• Spinal Injuries Association (SIA)

• Stroke Association                                         

 [Web sites last accessed 17 July 2026]

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