Our expertise in rehabilitation research

Nottingham is fast becoming a centre of excellence for research into the most effective ways to support people to recover after serious injury, trauma and illness.

Our research brings together scientists, academics and clinicians with a broad range of expertise. 

Why Nottingham?

There are many factors which make us a centre of excellence:

  • Our proven track record in innovation – conceiving, developing and applying technologies to improve patient care

  • Our thriving ecosystem of NHS, industry and academic expertise focused on rapidly developing new technologies

  • Clinicians, health and social care professionals who are already leading the world in new models of rehabilitation

  • Committed, diverse and engaged patients who work with us to design better and more effective technologies

Bringing research on rehabilitation together

The HRC is the latest investment to support new research in rehabilitation in Nottingham. Find out more about other established programmes and how they are contributing below.

Our translational research programme

Musculoskeletal, Surgery, Inflammation & Recovery Theme

Trauma is the leading cause of death globally, and post-surgical complications result in mortality 8.8 times higher than normal. 

Working as part of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, the Musculoskeletal, Surgery, Inflammation and Recovery Theme aims to match infrastructure to pathology, by establishing a tissue bank of over 70,000 samples from patients including those who will be treated at the National Rehabilitation Centre (due to open in 2025), and the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre based here at NUH.

Read more about this work on the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre website.

 

The National Rehabilitation Centre

The National Rehabilitation Centre will bring research, innovation, education and training alongside clinical practice to drive excellence in NHS rehabilitation services which will focus on supporting both mental and physical health.  

The NRC will consist of a 70-bed, purpose-built and highly energy efficient new facility, being built as part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme.  Construction is underway on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, which is already home to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre which opened in 2018. 

The NRC will open to patients in 2025 and will also provide specialist rehabilitation advice to support community-based clinicians.

A core part of the NRC is the development of research as an integral part of the delivery of services. The NRC will act as a "real world" environment for research into all aspects of rehabilitation, with many existing and future research programmes already collaborating with the NRC and its clinical and academic partners to develop world-leading research projects.