Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries

The Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at RJAH is one of 11 specialised Spinal Injuries Centres in the UK designated to receive and treat spinal cord injured patients.

The centre of excellence serves a catchment of approximately 10 million from North Wales, Mid Wales, South Mersey, Cheshire and The West Midlands. MCSI provides a lifelong service to a current population in excess of 3,500 patients and admits on average 380 patients per year, of whom approximately 120 are in the acute phase of injury/first episode of rehabilitation. Approximately 1,500 patients have a full outpatient follow-up review each year.

The multi-disciplinary team provides assessment, treatment and education to patients with a spinal cord injury. Our aim is to give patients the skills through an active rehabilitation programme to go back to living their lives as soon as possible. Support is also provided to partners and family members. We recognise this is a difficult time for family & patients and aim for the journey to be as seamless as possible.

MCSI is dedicated to the management of spinal injuries, maximising neurological recovery and function, minimising complications, and disability, reintegration back into the community and through follow up appointments after discharge, maintaining health, independence and a good quality of life on an ongoing basis.

MCSI accept referrals for children & adolescents. They will be admitted onto our children’s ward – Alice Ward and managed by the spinal injury team along with the Paediatric team.

The centre is also home to a stunning Horatio’s Garden, which offers sanctuary for patients with spinal cord injury. The garden is the fourth of its kind to open in the UK.

Where to Find Us

Plan your journey - Plan your journey

The Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries is easily located on the main hospital corridor at Location 24 - Hospital map

Definition of Spinal Cord Injuries

Specialised spinal cord injuries covers any traumatic insult to the spinal column at cervical (neck), thoracic (chest), thoracolumbar, lumbar, lumbo-sacral (lower back) or multiple levels which cause complete or partial interruption of the spinal cord function.

Spinal Cord Injury Centres (SCICs) provide specialised service to patients with non-progressive spinal cord injury or cauda equina injury as a result of a traumatic or non-traumatic cause.

Injuries which result from physical trauma (e.g road traffic accident, fall, penetrating injury are referred to as “traumatic” and injuries which result from disease or infection (e.g. epidural abscess/haematoma, spinal cord infarct, monophasic transverse myelitis etc) are referred to as “non-traumatic”.

Services/specialisms:

The services listed below are a part of the whole process of rehabilitation and re-integration of spinal cord injured patients back into the community. They are specialist services specifically for the SCIC.

Acute care – Outreach service
Children and young people services
Rehabilitation
Resettlement/Community Liaison Nurses
Tissue Viability (and wound care)
Psychology
Neuro-urology
Bowel Management
Physiotherapy
Occupational therapy
Speech & language therapy
Dietetics
Spasticity management
Sexual function
Shoulder and upper limb service including Functional Restoration.

In order to provide for the needs of the spinal cord injured patients, MCSI comprises of 50 beds:

46 in-patient rehabilitation beds
2 beds on Sheldon ward
2 beds for paediatric

Outpatient Department (OPD)

Five roomed Outpatient department (OPD) with integral facilities for specific investigations and treatment,

access to physiotherapy department – treatment room, gym and hydrotherapy pool
access to occupational therapy department and self-contained rehabilitation flat.
access to clinical psychology team
discharge planning process
outreach team
patient education programme
vocational/social activities

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from Trauma Centres, Trauma Units, and other hospitals via MDSAS online referral https://nww.mdsas.nhs.uk/spinal/referral.

This must then be followed up to complete the referral by a medic-to-medic phone call to discuss current management within 4 hours of diagnosis.

If appropriate for transfer to MCSI a management plan will be sent to inform the treating team. If your patient is not accepted, support and advice can be provided.

Contact: 01691 404000 ask to bleep spinal injuries Dr on call.

GP referrals via email or letter to our spinal injury Consultants. The information will be reviewed, if accepted an appointment will be made for your patient to be seen in our outpatient clinic.

Email: rjah.mcsisecretaries@nhs.net

District nurses who may have a concern about a patient should contact the patient’s GP or telephone the relevant specialist nurse to discuss further.

Key Contacts