---

Description

---

The Royal Hospital for Neurodisability RHN is a medical charity providing national regional and local specialist assessment rehabilitation treatment and care for adults with acquired brain injury primary and progressive neurological disease including demyelinating and hereditary causes and spinal cord disease This includes those in a vegetative state or another low level of awareness as well as those with high awareness but complex physical disability such as in lockedin syndrome We also care for people who are completely aware but dependent upon mechanical ventilation

While this may prove problematic for other service providers our specialist knowledge and experience enables us to respond to the immediate and enduring needs of this specific client group We aim to work in partnership with the NHS and local authorities in order to contribute to the different stages of each individuals care pathway

We offer a range of rehabilitation respite transition to community and community support services as well as longer term care including ventilator services and the UKs largest specialist service for advanced Huntingtons disease A balanced mix of clinical social and recreational care lies at the heart of our innovative approach to disability management Our emphasis is always on individual goals and enabling choice control and independence This is what makes the extraordinary difference that ensures our patients and residents are free to lead as full and productive lives as possible

Mission
The RHN is a charity which believes passionately that all people have the right to achieve their full human potential and enjoy the optimum possible quality of life whatever their level of ability Our mission is to help people with severe disability due to neurological impairment achieve this goal wherever they are in the UK

As a charity we will direct every effort and apply all our resources to bring maximum benefit to those who have complex disability due to acquired brain injury neurodegenerative disease or other major central nervous system impairment in particular those with severe cognitive impairment and high physical dependency

We will achieve our mission by

Providing the highest quality clinical services and life enhancing opportunities to as many people with severe neurological disability as possible at our own facilities in the London region and elsewhere in the UK or in partnership with other organisations in order to

Assess the full functional potential of people under our care

Provide stateoftheart multidisciplinary rehabilitation and adaptive
technologies in order to help people achieve their potential

Provide transitional support to help people return to the community and
ongoing support to people within the community

Provide long term care for those who require continuing residential support
furnishing not only the highest quality therapeutic support but also a home
environment with rich social and recreational possibilities

---

History

---

History
The RHN has evolved from a Victorian institution to a modern international centre of excellence for people with complex neurodisability

Our founder Dr Andrew Reed who had a fine record as a practical philanthropist recognised that there was no hospital in Great Britain designed specifically for the longterm care of people termed incurable He therefore set about organising an appeal for the establishment of a charitable institution for those whose needs were not being met somewhere that could give permanent relief to such persons as are hopelessly disqualified for the duties of life by disease accident or deformity Charles Dickens the literary giant and a voice of social conscience at the time took a keen interest in Reeds project urging him to provide a resting place where people would be sheltered and cared for in their irremovable afflictions

A public meeting chaired by the Lord Mayor of London was held at the Mansion House in July 1854 The motion to found the charity was adopted unanimously and the Hospital for Incurables was opened the following spring Initially based in a small converted workhouse in Carshalton Surrey the hospital accommodated just four patients In 1858 a more spacious house was leased in Putney and finally in 1865 patients were moved to the present site on West Hill originally a hunting lodge Florence Nightingale was one of several leading authorities who helped plan this move

In 1919 the organisation received the Royal Charter and changed its name to the Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables Putney In its early years referrals tended to be people with conditions such as rheumatism paralysis spinal disease polio or cancer Those with chest or hip disease deformities or who had suffered accidents were also admitted

With developments in modern technology and improved transport our more recent history has been one of rapid growth and change In 1946 the hospital opted out of the NHS Act it was believed that we would be in a stronger position to focus on more specialised treatment as a charity Towards the end of the 1970s the emphasis of care began to move away from being primarily that of longterm nursing towards rehabilitative services With an increasing number of patients being referred with complex forms of brain damage we developed the very first specialist rehabilitation unit in the UK for people with severe forms of brain injury Soon after we recognised the need for a vegetative state unit opening the only one of its kind in the country By 1993 we had also opened the first transitional living unit in the UK to help residents get ready to live independently