The UK’s first National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is preparing to open in Nottinghamshire, marking a significant advancement in rehabilitation services for patients recovering from life-changing injuries and illnesses.
The 70-bed facility, operated by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, introduces a new clinical model to deliver earlier, more intensive rehabilitation. Located alongside the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, the NRC benefits from shared facilities including hydrotherapy suites, a gait laboratory, and advanced imaging systems.
Funded through the government’s New Hospitals Programme, the NRC is the NHS’s first operationally carbon-neutral healthcare building, powered by solar panels and air source heat pumps. The surrounding 365-acre estate also plays a key role in patient recovery, offering outdoor exercise spaces, accessible trails, and recreational amenities.
Inside, the facility features the NHS’s most advanced robotics suite, equipped with European-designed rehabilitation technology and the first 360-degree patient hoist in Europe. It also incorporates digital safety systems and intelligent bedside technology to enhance patient autonomy.
Beyond patient care, the NRC will serve as a national hub for research, training, and innovation, collaborating with 26 universities across England. This research-led approach aims to accelerate the translation of new rehabilitation treatments into clinical practice.
The centre is expected to serve patients primarily from the East Midlands, including those referred from the region’s Major Trauma Centre, while also shaping the UK’s future rehabilitation strategy through a planned “hub and spoke” model to extend services nationwide.
