New book released on team approach to complex rehabilitation

Leading clinicians in rehabilitation have come together to write a new book on the interdisciplinary team (IDT) approach to complex physical rehabilitation.

‘A Practical Approach to Interdisciplinary Complex Rehabilitation’ is a comprehensive, practical, evidence-based guide to complex rehabilitation from an IDT perspective, exploring the dynamic and diverse roles and challenges of the team. The fifteen chapters are written by clinicians who are highly experienced across a range of disciplines and settings, from early acute rehabilitation to community rehabilitation.

The book has been developed by Drs Cara Pelser, Helen Banks and Ganesh Bavikatte from The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network (CMRN). Together with a wide range of medical, nursing, AHP and psychology colleagues from the CMRN they have captured each discipline in a user friendly, easy-read format covering topics which are underrepresented in current literature such as vocational rehabilitation and socioeconomic factors.

The CMRN is hosted by The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust. It is the UK’s only specialist rehabilitation clinical network commissioned from hyper acute to community services and NHS Foundation Trusts.

Dr Ganesh Bavikatte, consultant at The Walton Centre in Liverpool and clinical lead for the CMRN, and one of the editors of the book, said the text will be an invaluable resource for all healthcare staff working in rehabilitation.

“Whether you work in medicine, nursing, dietetics, neuropsychiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, rehabilitation coordination, speech and language therapy, or vocational rehabilitation therapy, there is something to learn and take from this book.

“Most importantly, the book looks at the team approach, which is critical for the benefit of the rehabilitation patient and their personalised goals.

“I am delighted to see it in print and be able to share the work of the staff from the Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network with our colleagues across the country and the world.”

Dr Cara Pelser, Clinical Psychologist, said: “'The book demonstrates the hard work and sheer dedication of NHS staff who, during a pandemic, have continued to successfully collaborate to develop and produce a piece of work everyone should be proud of.”

The Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network is a clinically-led network responsible for 103 inpatient beds and community services across the region. It provides high quality specialist rehabilitation across a coordinated pathway from hyper-acute to community services based on a patient’s needs not diagnosis.

It operates on a hub and spoke model, with the hub at The Walton Centre, where there are 10 inpatient beds in the Hyper Acute Specialist Rehabilitation Unit, providing early specialist assessment and supportive rehabilitation for patients who have typically stepped down from Critical Care, High Dependency Units or Major Trauma Centres and 20 inpatient beds in the Complex Rehabilitation Unit to provide supportive rehabilitation for patients with complex medical, nursing and therapy needs. Active rehabilitation is provided in the spoke units at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and extended rehabilitation at Oak Vale Gardens, Priory Care.