It used to be where the Co-op carried out staff training. Set in lovely grounds, Stanford Hall boasted an open air pool to take the children to and a quaint, traditional theatre to entertain the adults. But in 2018 the military rehabilitation unit established at Headley Court in Surrey eighty years ago relocated here and it’s since developed into a state of the art Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre.
Back at our general meeting in May, temperatures in the low thirties didn’t deter a room full of members who came to hear about the work of the unit, enthusiastically told by our guest speaker, Lt Col Tim Clarke.
Tim described the centre as providing ‘occupationally focused rehabilitation’ with the aim to get as many injured military personnel back into action as possible, either in their original role or different one.
The centre achieves this through the close coordination of a multitude of medical specialities that focus on the physical and mental needs of the patient. Around 350 clinical staff are available at the one site. And Tim proudly told us that, of the 1,900 in patient referrals last year, 75% of these were able to continue in service.
This kind of success enjoys an international reputation and has spawned a cooperation with militaries overseas, notably in Ukraine. Finally ending his talk, Tim touched upon the DMRC Benevolent Fund, a charity which supports injured servicemen in so many ways to help them reacclimatise back into the world after suffering physical and mental trauma. Soar Valley u3a has provided a donation to the fund. If you wish to make a personal contribution you can view the website here.