Co-located with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, the NRC is a 70-bed, state-of-the-art specialist centre for NHS patients recovering from life-changing illness or injury.
The Centre, which will be run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), will primarily receive patients from across the East Midlands, many of whom are expected to come via the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre – the busiest in the UK, and based at NUH.
The national significance of the NRC lies in its role in leading rehabilitation research, technology development and innovation, as well as delivering specialist training and education through its NRC Academy, of which Loughborough University is a key member.
Patients at the Centre will have the opportunity to take part in research during their stay, helping to dramatically shorten the time between identifying effective new treatments and seeing them benefit patients. Clinical staff will also be encouraged to engage actively in research and education.
The work undertaken at the NRC is anticipated to be of international importance, with advances in rehabilitation technology, treatment approaches and innovation expected to have global impact.
At Loughborough, rehabilitation is a core research strength. Its experts are transforming every stage of the recovery journey – from developing more effective exercises and self-powered wearable technologies, to advancing remote patient monitoring and prehabilitation for surgery. The University is also leading the way in immersive and digital tools, bioengineered devices, and data-driven and AI methods that will define the next generation of personalised rehabilitation.
Speaking about Loughborough’s involvement in the NRC, Professor Dan Parsons, the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: “I am immensely proud of the central role the Loughborough team have played in bringing forward this incredible facility – our researchers have been at the heart of the NRC from the very beginning.
“As the UK’s first National Rehabilitation Centre, the NRC will bring together world-leading clinical insight with Loughborough’s strengths in engineering, sport science, digital technologies and human-centred design. The NRC will become a hub for innovation that transforms rehabilitation practice in the UK and internationally. This partnership exemplifies the power of bringing research and innovation, alongside care, together – to improve lives, accelerate recovery, and shape the future of health.”