Member Article

£10 million rehabilitation centre brings specialist treatment facilities to Middlesbrough

A £10 million specialist rehabilitation centre is opening in January in Middlesbrough, boosting local support for people with traumatic and long term neurological conditions.

Keiro Group was founded in 1987 in Whickham, Gateshead, originally providing residential nursing care for the elderly but since developing into a leading centre for rehabilitating clients such as stroke victims or those with brain injuries, helping individuals to regain their independence after discharge from hospital.

The new centre at The Gateway in Middlehaven is based on Keiro’s successful model in Gateshead, and comprises 40 bedrooms with medical provision for individuals with complex needs, as well as adjacent transitional housing with on-site staff to provide social support for less critical clients. In the heart of the complex is a health and sports club with large café, to offer people more social interaction with friends and family during their recovery.

The new site also includes swimming and hydrotherapy pools, steam rooms, holistic therapy facilities, a gymnasium with specialist rehabilitation equipment, and a dedicated knowledge centre to give clients access to as much information as possible to help them self-manage their lives before and after discharge.

Viv Watson, managing director at Keiro Group: “Opening the new site in Middlehaven is a huge step for us, helping us to provide care to clients right across the North East, and effectively doubling our size in terms of both staff and turnover.

“As we aim to provide specialist treatment to help clients regain control of their lives and re-integrate back into the community, we designed the health club with offices to be used by local charities to ensure that the widest range of specialist care and support is available on-site. The facilities are also open to the local community, creating a lively and uplifting atmosphere for all.”

To fund the development of the new centre, Keiro approached Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking for a £6.5 million loan under the Government-backed Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), having received support for previous developments.

Viv added: “The support from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has been key to realising the development of the new centre, and the guidance throughout the planning and construction process from our Healthcare relationship manager and Healthcare Banking Consultant at the bank has been invaluable.”

Stuart Harper, specialist healthcare relationship manager at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The services offered by Keiro really are unique in the North East, and the opening of the Middlehaven centre is good news for both Keiro and people in the region.

Malcolm Swan, healthcare banking consultant at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking said “Keiro’s growth has shown that there is a real need for its specialist care, and this facility will help to establish the firm as a leader in rehabilitative care for clients with neurological conditions in the region.

“Our teams of healthcare specialists work closely with companies and professionals in the healthcare sector across the country, and are able to provide support and guidance specific to healthcare customers. Schemes such as FLS are ideal for SMEs, and under the scheme we are offering discounts of one per cent for the life of the loans.”

Issued on behalf of Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking by Citypress.

More information: Chris McIntyre on 0161 235 0305/ chris.mcintyre@citypress.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Holli Brown .