Welcome to Ashby Ward

About the ward

Ashby Ward is an 18-bedded unit providing rehabilitation to people with long-term neurological conditions as well as those who have traumatic/acquired brain injuries and need complex rehabilitation. You and your family and carers are critical to the rehabilitation process and are heavily involved in contributing to the programme.

Admissions

All admissions are planned and there is no emergency access to the unit. Patients must be medically stable and able to tolerate and comply with therapy intervention for a reasonable period.

You have been admitted for an initial period of assessment to determine what help can be offered. If Ashby Ward is not appropriate for you following assessment, then an appropriate discharge destination will be discussed.

What to expect during your stay

While we understand your family and carers often wish to help you, we do encourage you to do as much as you can and you are expected to put the skills you attain in therapy into day-to-day use on the ward.

We do our best to respect your wishes with regards to your fatigue, but please be aware that if you are regularly refusing therapy sessions then you may be deemed inappropriate for rehabilitation and discharged.

You may also benefit from times of social interaction. If you are able to and it is appropriate, we will include you in group sessions. We also encourage you to participate in social activities planned on the ward and it is expected that you will take your meals in the day room if you are able to.

Rehabilitation is a goal oriented process and you will be supported to reach your full potential in terms of functional ability and independence, with goals being reviewed regularly in conjunction with you and your family.

You will be allocated a key worker who works alongside the multidisciplinary team and coordinates regular meetings to keep everyone abreast of your progress and goals. They will also discuss discharge planning which starts as soon as you are admitted.
As you come to the end of your rehabilitation on the ward, we may need to transfer you to another ward or an intermediate care bed while final preparations are being made for your departure. This enables other patients to access the ward as soon as possible to start their rehabilitation.

The specialist outreach discharge liaison nurse will facilitate the rehabilitation/discharge process by liaising with you, your family or carer.

The following services are available during your stay. Please speak to a member of staff for more information:

• Daily newspaper
• Free patient entertainment system which offers TV, films, newspapers and magazines, games and mindfulness activities. You need to use your personal devices to access the service
• iPad
• Radio/cassette/CD player
• Books/magazines/talking books/Kindles
• Chaplaincy services

Visiting times

Visiting times are seven days a week from 2pm to 4pm and then from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

The ward also operates protected meal times.  Protected mealtimes are periods where non-urgent clinical activities stop on hospital wards during meal service. This means the patient can eat without being interrupted and staff can offer assistance.

We are happy for visitors to visit at mealtimes in order to help relatives to eat or to give encouragement.

If you experience any difficulties with visiting during these times, then please discuss with the Sister or the nurse in charge.

Engaging with you

We encourage our patients and their families to ask questions about their treatment, to clarify anything they are not sure of and provide us with information which could be helpful. This can be during meetings or when you see a member of your team on the ward.

We understand that fatigue levels vary from patient to patient, so we ask that family and friends stick to the visiting times and that there are no more than two visitors at a patient’s bedside. It is important to allow adequate time for rest and relaxation. If for any reason your visitors need an exception to these rules, please speak to a member of staff.

Who you’ll meet

During your stay you will meet various members of the Ashby Ward team.

The team includes two rehabilitation medicine consultants. They are supported by a specialty doctor (at registrar/middle grade level) and a junior doctor (FY2).

The ward sister is supported by a junior sister, specialist outreach discharge liaison nurse and a team of trained nurses and health care support workers.

These include:

• Occupational therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Speech and language therapists
• Dietitians
• Neuropsychologists
• Clinical nurse specialists (part of the community outreach team)

You may also meet people from other teams we work closely with, for example:

• Social services
• Electronic Assistive Technology Services (EATS)
• Wheelchair services
• Carers First
• Doctors and nurses from other departments

Cash, property and valuables

A lockable draw is provided for each patient. Any electrical items you wish to use on the ward will need to be PAT tested first. You are expected to wear your own clothes and suitable footwear for rehabilitation purposes and we ask that you label all personal items.

Please do not bring large amounts of cash with you. No responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage to patients’ property.

Smoking

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is a Smokefree trust.  This means that smoking is not permitted on any of our sites including all buildings, grounds and vehicles.  If you currently smoke you will be offered nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the form of patches and inhalator and will be offered a referral for ongoing support.

Contact information

Ashby Ward Main Reception

01522 572380

Physiotherapy

01522 512512 extension 582582

Occupational therapy

01522 512512 extension 582 582

Lincolnshire Wheelchair Services – Millbrook Healthcare

03332 400101

Speech and language therapy 

01522 512 512 extension 582972

Neuropsychology

01522 573696

Dietetics

01522 573418

Electronic Assisted Technology Services

01522 697282

Carers First

01522 782224

Social services

01522 782155

To help us with the prevention of infection please ensure that you follow the information at the entrance of the ward and individual rooms.

Site: Lincoln County Hospital

Telephone:  01522 572380