The Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) and the Orthopaedic Institute welcomed delegates from 16 countries for the course.
As the only European centre for spinal cord injuries recognised for training by the European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, MCSI was chosen to co-host the first two days of this prestigious four-day event. Final year Registrars in this specialist field were selected by their respective national managers to attend the course.
Lecturers with acclaimed expertise in their given field also travelled to the hospital from all over the UK and Europe to share their knowledge and experience in the rehabilitation of patients with various forms of spinal cord injury.
Mr Naveen Kumar, MCSI’s Consultant Surgeon in Spinal Injuries, said: “It’s an absolute privilege that we have been chosen as the first centre in the UK to host the course. This is a truly fantastic opportunity for the organisation, which is already recognised as an international centre of excellence.
“Thank you to the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Board of the European Union of Medical Specialists for not only selecting us but contributing financially towards the running of the course by offering senior Doctors from 16 countries a place.”
MCSI, based at RJAH, is one of 11 designated specialist spinal cord injury centres in the UK.
The centre serves a catchment of 10 million people from North Wales, Mid Wales, South Mersey, Cheshire and the West Midlands, and provides a lifelong service to a current population of 3,500 patients.
It is a referral centre for spinal injuries from four regional major trauma centres and about 25 other acute hospitals.
MCSI provides acute and lifelong care including follow up in its outpatient department. This dedicated spinal cord injury centre provides a comprehensive rehabilitation service including: Physiotherapy, wheelchair / specialist seating, 3D gait analysis, Occupational Therapy, Electrotherapy, Isokinetics laboratory evaluation, exercise testing, Hydrotherapy, Video-urodynamics, Orthotic workshop, Neurophysiology, Prosthetic workshop, and vocational rehabilitation.
The Orthopaedic Institute is a charity which provides funds for research and education at RJAH.
Siân Jones, Course Organiser, added: “It was a particular privilege to organise this course for the MCSI as it represents the first course of its type in Europe. Our hope is that the course will become a regular fixture in the calendar of European spinal cord rehabilitation medicine doctors.”
