Former Paralympian opens new ventilator centre (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Former Paralympian opens new Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability ventilator centre

4:00pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Jamie Henderson

Former paralympian Ade Adepitan was on hand to open the latest state-of-the-art service at a brain injury hospital.

Mr Adepitan met patients and staff on Wednesday, March 6, to learn more about the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability 's new ventilator service at the Jack Emerson Centre in Putney.

The new service, which was a unique collaboration between RHN staff, Cowan Architects and existing patients, is designed to provide the best environment for rehabilitation, including specially-adapted environmental controls to increase independence for patients.

The new ventilator service was funded by a £500,000 donation from The Albert Reckitt Charitable Trust, which has been supporting the work of the RHN for more than 70 years.

Former wheel-chair basketball star Adepitan, who presented TV coverage of last year's Paralympics, said: "I have driven past the RHN hundreds of times but have never been inside.

"I had a tour of the hospital and saw the difference its charitable activity make to the patients there and am so happy to have been invited to open the new centre."

The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, founded nearly 160 years ago, is dedicated to the rehabilitation and long term care of people with complex disability due to acquired brain injury or neuro-degenerative disease.