Aylesbury Vale delegation to attend eHealth Week 2012 in Denmark

Archived press release

Date Published: 30/04/12

The world-famous National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, is to be showcased at a major European event for healthcare professionals next month.

A delegation representing Stoke Mandeville National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) and the Buckinghamshire 2012 Partnership will attend eHealth Week in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 9 May, where it will be promoting the NSIC’s role in the Paralympics and highlighting opportunities to develop telehealth products to support the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries.

The Aylesbury Vale delegation has a full programme over the three day event and will use a series of workshops, private dinners and a keynote breakfast briefing to promote the NSIC internationally and to engage with investors looking to expand into the UK market. It is running a workshop on Monday 7 May at 12pm for those wishing to attend.

Thanks to London 2012, the eyes of the world are on Stoke Mandeville as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. For the NSIC, this global profile offers a unique opportunity to network with other professionals to improve the future care and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries.

Olympic Gold Medallist, Adrian Moorhouse MBE, will be delivering a speech at the formal opening reception in his role as Chairman of the Buckinghamshire 2012 Partnership. Adrian will be discussing NSIC’s role in the Paralympics and the importance of telehealth in the rehabilitation of spinal injury patients. There’ll also be an exhibition of Paralympic sport featuring representatives of the Danish Paralympic Committee.

Adrian Moorhouse, Chairman of the Buckinghamshire 2012 Partnership, said: “Stoke Mandeville is the iconic name in the world of international and disability sport. Through the pioneering work of Dr Ludwig Guttmann, the origins of the Paralympic movement were born at the NSIC in 1948. Here now in 2012 as we prepare for the Games to return home to British shores, Stoke Mandeville continues to play a vital role in the development of disability sport and in the advancement of medical research to enable individuals from across the globe to live and play independently. We hope that a number of companies will be able to join us at the birthplace of the Paralympic Games in 2012.”

By working with companies involved in the telehealth sector and helping them showcase their products to an international audience – the NSIC and its partners are hoping to utilise technologies that will help patients live more independently in the future.

Dr Allison Graham, Clinical Lead and Consultant Physician at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, said: “We are only beginning to realise the effects of using telehealthcare technology as a way of innovating and improving the long term care of our patient population. The collaboration of all the organisations involved in making this happen is quite unique and a very fitting tribute to the work over the decades by the NSIC and the support it has received from the people of Aylesbury Vale and hopefully will be a productive legacy for the benefit of the NSIC and the local economy.”

Councillor Michael Edmonds, Deputy Leader of Aylesbury Vale District Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “This trip will help us to promote inward investment and partnering opportunities. We are committed to ensuring that Aylesbury Vale remains a competitive business location, and the relationships that we have been building abroad help us to do this. These relationships take time to develop, and local authorities play a vital role in building and maintaining these and representing their local areas and business community.”

Christina Roosen, Executive Director of HIMSS Europe, the organisers of eHealth Week, said: “We are delighted about the partnership and delegation coming from Aylesbury. eHealth Week is a platform where health IT solutions are presented and shared across borders. The telehealth solutions used at Stoke Mandeville are so unique and empowering people to overcome physical challenges. We wanted these to be shared amongst European peers. Moreover, we are very excited about the involvement of current Paralympians supporting the conference with a demonstration at our Monday evening reception.”

For more information on the work of the National Spinal Injuries Centre, visit www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk

About the NSIC:
The NSIC at Stoke Mandeville Hospital has the largest single spinal injury clinical group in the
world, with 6,000 monitored patients and 115 bed spaces dedicated to spinal injury – the largest number in the UK. The spinal cord injury patient goes through a comprehensive rehabilitation programme which involves clinicians, patients, carers and families. Follow up is life long and the impact of rehabilitation has seen life expectancy increase to almost normal for many groups of patients but for those most severely affected it is hoped that teleheathcare will show an increase in both quality and quantity of life after injury. This presents an ideal environment for new technologies to be prototyped, developed and utilised – technologies which will ensure a more independent lifestyle for the patient.

The NSIC is developing a ‘hub and spoke’ model of outreach centres to deliver care more effectively for patients in a familiar setting, such as their home. This work is complemented by a new Centre of Excellence for Telehealth at Buckinghamshire New University, which works closely with the NSIC to develop and advance telehealth products to support patients with spinal cord injury and runs a variety of professional courses for their staff.

Companies will be invited to showcase their telehealth products through an exhibition at Stoke Mandeville Stadium from June to September. There’ll also be an opportunity for companies to sell their products and services in the UK to statutory bodies such as local authorities, healthcare trusts and commissioners of healthcare at a telehealth ‘meet the buyer’ event on 14 September at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. As a result of these and other events, the intention is to develop appropriate collaborative partnerships in rehabilitation and telecare health.

About Aylesbury Vale District Council:
Aylesbury Vale District Council has played a key role in promoting the NSIC across Europe and has created several links with Scandinavian companies over the past year. The council has also helped develop a telecare centre of excellence in Aylesbury to enable firms to demonstrate, test and showcase technology.

About eHealth Week:
eHealth Week will bring together businesses and stakeholders from across Europe including international IT and medical devices companies, political leaders, hospital managers, health professionals and IT managers. The event is expected to attract more than 4,000 delegates and will showcase exhibitions from more than 100 Danish and international companies.