Acute Spine Ward Team listed as Runner Up in the SIA Rebuilding Lives Awards

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is delighted to announce the A5 North Team at the University Hospital of Wales has been awarded runner up in the SIA Rebuilding Lives Awards.

The Spinal Injuries Association Rebuilding Lives Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and groups in the spinal cord injured community, who inspire others through their work or hobbies or during their rehabilitation.

The Outstanding SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) Team of the Year award celebrates teams that have made a significant difference to SCI care or treatment in healthcare, rehabilitation or other SCI settings. We are honoured to have been listed as a runner up in this category.

Attending the ceremony in Milton Keynes on 13 June, 2024, Ward Manager Lisa Cook said, “It really means a lot to both myself and the staff to get recognition for the work we do with acute spinal injuries and gives the justification for further work and progress to be made for A5 North with spinal injury patients.”

The Acute Spine Ward (A5 North) at University Hospital of Wales provides care for patients with complex needs and is the first team of people that patients with Spinal Cord Injuries will meet. SCIs are often lifechanging and the team offers support not only to the patient, but their families, relatives and carers too.

The team are always looking for ways to better their patients’ lives. Whether this is through purchasing everyday items such as drinking cups and phone holders, or innovative changes like the neurogenic bowel prescription chart for all patients to decrease constipation risk, the team always aim to improve their service.

The team have also trialled using high flow oxygen on the wards. Used predominantly by physiotherapists, the aim is to manage patients on the ward for continuity of care. Without the trial, this would see patients moved to a respiratory ward that would not be able to provide the specialised care for a spinal issue.

In the future, they are hoping to upgrade the relatives’ room so that there is an appropriate space to talk with families and amend the ward layout to create a better space to start delivering rehabilitation goals.

They work very closely with the spinal rehabilitation unit in University Hospital Llandough with regular in-reach catch ups to better the patients’ journey. The praise the team gets from both patients and relatives is testament to the work they do.

The award is a great reflection of all the hard work the team provides people every day and we are delighted to have been awarded runner up in this category.