Personal injury news

Brain injury unit to open in Northern Ireland

An ultra-modern £9million brain injury unit is scheduled to open in Northern Ireland next week, offering patients state-of-the-art treatment in luxurious surroundings.

The unit will be the most progressive of its kind in Europe and will be based at Belfast's Musgrave Park Hospital. It will offer a varied programme of specialist rehabilitation and treatment for victims of all types of brain injury.

Included in the complex are beds for 25 patients, a gym, sensory gardens, exercise rooms and occupational and speech therapy facilities. The entire unit has been created to a unique curved design, cutting out the long corridors and anonymous spaces that can prove to be difficult for patients with cognitive or memory problems.

Dr John McCann, a leading brain injury expert, said, "The good thing about this unit is that people with acquired brain injury can now receive the specialist inpatient and outpatient care they need, under one roof, at Musgrave Park Hospital."

Overseeing the construction of the unit was Brian Sore, who travelled around Europe looking at other similar centres to see what could be done in Northern Ireland.

He said, "Basically we took the best bits. There were impressive centres in Oxford and Rotterdam - but the one we have is something else.

"This now means we don't have to send our patients and families across the water to such centres. This could cost up to £60,000. The new unit is cutting edge stuff."

The centre will be welcomed by people all across Northern Ireland who have been left brain damaged by car crashes, motorcycle accidents, violence and various other tragedies, giving them an opportunity to receive advanced treatment whilst also retaining as much independence as possible.