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PRESS RELEASE: 23 May 2005

New stroke bay opens at Addenbrooke’s - giving patients specialist care

A new acute monitoring bay for stroke patients has officially opened at Addenbrooke’s Hospital - giving patients the specialist care and monitoring they need, and making the hospital’s Lewin Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit one of the most advanced in the country for stroke care.

Generous donations following the death of Herbert Robinson, a patient who was cared for in the unit, have meant that the bay could be opened sooner than planned, giving patients maximum benefit from its facilities. Mr Robinson had strong links with Addenbrooke's, as he was one of the hospital's chief legal advisers until his sad death in May last year. The bay has been named the Herbert Robinson Acute Stroke Bay as a mark of thanks and honour.

Isobel Robinson, Herbert Robinson's wife, opens the new bay

The new bay will enable many more stroke patients arriving at the hospital to be admitted to the unit immediately, where they can be monitored for 48 hours before being moved to an appropriate bed, either in the stroke unit or elsewhere in the hospital. The monitoring they receive helps the stroke team to identify what caused the stroke and helps prevent secondary stroke and other complications, ultimately improving patients’ outcome.

A specialist nurse has also been funded by the hospital’s charity, the Fund and Friends of Addenbrooke’s, for a year initially to develop and manage the new bay, further enhancing the care of stroke patients.

Speaking about the new bay, Jan Kennedy, Clinical Service Manager for the Lewin Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit, said: "Emerging clinical evidence shows that providing acute stroke care to patients by a specialist team of nurses, doctors and therapists within the first few hours can minimise long-term disability and dependence. This greatly impacts on the patient's and their family's quality of life. We are delighted that this is the first unit of its kind to be opened in the region and to be able to offer this standard of care."

Patients and staff on the Lewin Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit are also celebrating the relandscaping of the unit’s garden by members of staff, making the area a more pleasant place to be in, and helping with the recovery process.

For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.