Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit

Liverpool Hospital
Inpatient Services

The BIRU Inpatient Unit is a 16 bed ward located in Liverpool Hospital’s grounds. The unit is accredited as a training facility by the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (Royal Australian College of Physicians) and is accredited by the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards.

The following criteria for admission to the unit are used:

• Aged between 16 and 65 years
• Patients are accepted from South West Sydney, Southern Sydney and Southern and South West NSW.
• Patients must be medically stable and sufficiently recovered following their acute injury. Patients with tracheostomy and multiple orthopaedic injuries will be accepted.
• Priority is given to people within South West Sydney Area Health Service
• Priority is given to people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury, although others with acquired brain injury with similar needs will be considered.

The unit can manage confused and disorientated patients. There are high dependency rooms close to the nurses' station for patients who require close monitoring. There are single and two bed rooms which are used according to the level of care required. Private beds are not available.

The Inpatient Team consists of the following staff and services:

• Two staff specialists in rehabilitation medicine
• Trainee registrar in rehabilitation medicine
• Nurses
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech Pathologists
• Neuropsychologist/Clinical Psychologist
• Programme Co-ordinator
• Social Workers
• Other medical services available by consultation include ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, neurology and psychiatry.
• Dietitian is available by consultation

Approximately 100 patients are admitted to the ward each year, with an average length of stay of 40 days. The majority of patients stay for less than 6 weeks. Over 95 % of patients return home and 2-3 % require institutional care.

Admission is by medical referral. Clinical and social details are required at the time of referral.