A new campaign conceived by intensive care rehabilitation nurse Kate Tantam and her multi-professional team, is calling for an end to the postcode lottery for NHS rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation helps people recover from the likes of car crashes, cancer or strokes but there is currently no guaranteed access to this vital care. The campaign is calling for life-changing NHS rehabilitation services to be made available to everyone in the UK no matter where they live.
The campaign’s website has recordings of patients discussing their experiences and asks people to sign a petition https://www.petitionforrehab.com/.
INPA is one of many organisations actively in support of the campaign. Our members have first hand knowledge that when patients don’t have access to rehabilitation, it can slow or halt their recovery, damaging their quality of life and mental health and causing lasting disability, distress and deterioration of health. Quality rehabilitation takes a multidisciplinary team effort, from physiotherapists, nurses, speech and language therapists, support workers, occupational therapists and psychologists, all playing a major role in a patient’s recovery.
Kate Tantam, ICU rehabilitation nurse and founder of #RehabLegend said: “Rehabilitation gets our patients back to the people and things that they love and gives people back the lives they have lost. I hope this campaign helps persuade NHS leaders across the UK to provide much needed rehab services.”
INPA’s Chair Lesly Pope, said, “This is a fabulous campaign which has gained widespread support. We hope it will help people to see the importance of this poorly understood area of healthcare and give it the focus and funding it deserves.”
