Specialist rehabilitation unit opens for children with acquired brain injuries in memory of ten-year-old boy

A specialist rehabilitation ward for children with neurological injuries and illnesses has been officially opened at Southampton Children’s Hospital, in memory of a 10-year-old boy who died from a brain tumour.

Robbie’s Rehab is a dedicated four-bed ward where youngsters with complex medical needs will now receive tailored rehabilitation at their bedside.

Paid for by a charity fund launched in memory of Hampshire schoolboy Robbie Keville, the purpose-built new ward will transform how children receive specialist neurorehabilitation as they recover from surgery and treatment.

Robbie, a former patient at Southampton Children’s Hospital, died from cancer in February 2016, having already lost his mum, Kate, to breast cancer in 2011.

Before his death, Robbie had set up a charity to help others – something his dad Mark Keville and older siblings Harry and Lara, vowed to continue in his name. With the support of Southampton Hospitals Charity, a dedicated fund was set up that has evolved to help other youngsters with neurological conditions.

As well as the colourful beach-themed ward, which now has space for pull down beds that enable parents to stay overnight with younger children while in hospital, Robbie’s Rehab has also funded a dedicated room where children can use a quiet space for other elements of their rehab, including speech and language therapy and psychology sessions.

A spacious bathroom enabling staff to manoeuvre patients by hoist and provide dignity and privacy for personal care has also been built – ending the need to prepare children for a shower on a ward before transporting them along a corridor in a wheelchair.

The £500,000 investment will transform the experience of patients using SPIN – Southampton Paediatric Intensive Neurorehabilitation service – a multi-disciplinary team combining a consultant neurologist, nurse specialist, physio, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, clinical psychology, dietetics, education as well as play and youth support.

SPIN delivers high quality intensive rehabilitation to children and young people who have had a new acquired brain injury, starting early at the bedside, because evidence shows early intervention means a shorter length of stay in hospital and a better long-term outcome.

Having a specialist unit will also prove a game-changer for staff, saving time and improving efficiency by enabling them to provide the full range of rehab in one place.

Southampton Children’s Hospital provides tertiary specialist integrated neurorehabilitation to children aged 0-18 years, from admission until they are well enough to go home. SPIN currently sees around 44 patients each year, with children staying up to three months in hospital.

Robbie’s dad, Mark Keville, said: “Robbie was seven years old when he first fell ill, but already understood charity fundraising as he had seen money being raised in honour of his mum, Kate, as she fought breast cancer.

“Harry, Lara and I were both proud and excited when he expressed his wish to start raising money for Southampton Children’s Hospital.

“We were completely overwhelmed by the support that we received from so many adventurous fundraisers. The Robbie’s Rehab ward has been made possible by them and is a tribute not only to Robbie and Kate but also to the grit and determination of so many generous donors, to who we owe huge thanks.”

Georgina Bird-Lieberman, consultant neurologist at SCH, said: “Rehabilitation is about relearning skills and requires repetition and practicing of these skills both in sessions with therapists, but also throughout the day. Until now, we have not been able to provide this in the right environment for our patients.

“Lack of space with dedicated facilities has limited the range of rehab activities we are able to provide on the wards. Disruption on busy acute wards, particularly at night, has resulted in poor and insufficient sleep which impacts the patient’s engagement and progress.

“Robbie’s Rehab is critical to the quality of care our patients receive and there is no imaginable way we would have been able to make this happen without the extraordinary generosity of the Keville family and all their donors. This incredible new space will make such a positive impact to our patients and will be a wonderful legacy for Robbie.”

Shona Mackie, paediatric neurology nurse specialist, said: “The opening of Robbie’s Rehab is a huge milestone in terms of the facilities, experience and treatment we can now deliver for our patients.

“For the past six years we have worked tirelessly with Robbie’s family, our neuro rehab patients and the Trust with a mutual goal to improve the facilities for children we care for with acquired brain injuries.

“We are all delighted to finally see this dream become a reality and watch our young patients benefit from this much-needed investment.”