Staff and patients at the refurbished Leengate building at Nottingham University Hospitals have celebrated the first anniversary of the £8.4 million refresh.
The purpose-built facility on our Queen’s Medical Centre site is the new location for physiotherapy, orthotics (the assessment and provision of external devices to assist mobility or reduce pain), and other outpatient services.
Based within the building are 32 clinic rooms (including two large rooms to accommodate multi-disciplinary teams), a gym, which will also be used for staff wellbeing, and a bespoke orthotic walkway – a purpose-built corridor used to assess patients’ gait.
There are also rooms with improved acoustics for speech and language therapy, two ‘virtual’ rooms to facilitate telephone and video appointments, as well as private outside areas for patients and staff.
• QMC fruit and veg stall helps wellbeing of patients and staff
Chief Executive, Anthony May OBE DL, said: “Leengate is a great facility for colleagues to work in and for our patients to attend their appointments. The investment has given us the opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary specialities together in one place, which is already having a positive impact on the care we deliver.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in developing the space for their hard work and efforts.”
The move of the therapies teams into the Leengate building has released space at the QMC for the Maternity and Neonatal Redesign expansion on B floor, as well as the Same Day Emergency Care expansion on A floor.
More than 900 patients are now seen each week at the Leengate facility, and approximately 70 staff are based there.
The building at Leengate had previously been used as an outpatient centre by the Healthcare of Older People team and then as storage throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rachel Clarke, General Manager for Outpatients at NUH, said: “Since opening a year ago, we have had excellent feedback from both our staff and our patients.
“It’s the simple things which are making a huge difference. We now have dedicated clinic rooms large enough for the whole multi-disciplinary team to be present and for the patient to attend with relatives and carers as required, while still having space to manoeuvre large powered wheelchairs and get on and off the wheelchair scales safely.
“Our patients with mobility difficulties find the external outpatient building much easier to get in and out of compared to the QMC. Our staff are enjoying the improved brightness and temperature in the building compared to Clinic 3 and A floor, where they used to work.
“We cannot believe a whole year has already passed, and we are very proud of the difference we continue to make to thousands of patients every month.”
One of the very first patients to benefit from the building’s new facilities was Wayne Cliff, a volunteer police sergeant who suffered a serious injury at work and had to learn to walk again.
Wayne works for Nottingham Trent University but has also volunteered for Nottinghamshire Police for 33 years and is currently a volunteer police sergeant in their Operational Support, Roads Policing Unit.
It was during a volunteer shift with the Roads Policing Team in February 2023 that he suffered an injury, leading to emergency surgery and 18 months of physiotherapy support from Nottingham University Hospitals.
Wayne explained that he and his colleague had been pursuing a vehicle that had failed to stop, which crashed into a stationary car, and the occupants took off into woodland on foot.
He said: “I gave chase after the occupants but lost my footing and fell in woodland, sustaining serious leg injuries. Because of the serious nature of the injury, I had to learn to walk again.
“I had lost the ability to do all the things we take for granted – and was supported with everyday tasks as I was unable to walk, as my legs post-surgery were fixed and locked into leg supports for 4 months.”
Wayne had suffered bilateral quadriceps tendon ruptures – meaning that he had torn tendons in both legs, leaving his kneecaps detached. It required emergency surgery to reattach them, a week on the F18 Trauma ward at QMC, and four months bedbound before beginning his long road to recovery.
With support from Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists, Wayne attended weekly appointments where he built up his muscle strength and mobility, progressing from using a Zimmer frame to crutches, and then to being able to stand freely and climb the stairs.
He said: “Leengate has a fantastic rehabilitation gym with all the normal gym equipment and specialist machines, including parallel bars to practise walking and a model staircase where you can safely gain confidence without the fear of falling as you progress in your recovery.
“The team were excellent – they really understand different injuries, and encourage and push you, but safely.
“They are also good at reminding you how far you’ve come, which is important for your mental health and wellbeing when you are at a vulnerable stage in life, as the injury not only affects you physically but also has a huge impact on your mental health.”
Thanks to all the support from NUH staff, particularly the Physiotherapy team at Leengate, Wayne is able to walk again and plans to be back on patrol with Nottinghamshire Police very soon.
He said: “All the ambulance staff, those on F18, the surgeons, and the team at Leengate were amazing, and without them I wouldn’t be walking today.
“I wish to thank each and every one of the team for their kind care and support. I owe them all a great debt of gratitude and have huge respect for each and every one of them.”
Lucy Woodhouse is another patient who has benefitted from the services at Leengate over the last year.
Currently living in Matlock, she has had two previous operations on her spine for prolapsed discs. However, following emergency spinal surgery in January, Lucy lost the use of her left foot, and her right leg went completely numb.
She went home from the Queen’s Medical Centre with a leg brace and was referred to Leengate, which she says has transformed her life.
Lucy said: “The time immediately after my surgery was very traumatic for both me and my family. I am a mum to two boys and a stepdaughter and was a manager at a charity café – the Grand Pavilion in Matlock Bath – where I did all the cooking and front of house, so I was always on my feet.
“I also enjoyed a lot of countryside walking in Matlock. After the surgery, I was not able to walk, which obviously had a huge impact on both my working and personal life.
“I was referred to a fantastic physiotherapist at Leengate – Louise – who, together with staff from the Orthotics team, has been able to get me walking again.
“It took a long time to get the right leg brace for me – I’m on my fourth now – and it has really transformed my life. I really never thought I would get to this point.
“The staff at Leengate have supported me all the way through a very difficult process. If something wasn’t working, then they would try something else. If I was with Louise and she wanted me to see someone in Orthotics, I was referred and seen that very day – it is a brilliant service.”
Lucy is now optimistic about the future. She said: “I have had to give up a job I loved, and my high heels are going to be a thing of the past.
“However, I have been able to walk using a leg brace without crutches, which is a big achievement for me and has made a huge difference for my young family.”
