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A new therapy gym is now open at Solihull Hospital, offering improved rehabilitation opportunities for patients.

The gym, which is located on Ward 19, is being used mainly by fractured neck of femur, or broken hip, patients, who are transferred across to Solihull Hospital, after undergoing surgery at Heartlands Hospital.

The gym offers access to equipment for patients to receive one-to-one therapy, such as stairs and parallel bars, for patients to practise in preparation for being discharged.

Plans are also underway to incorporate a kitchen area in the gym area, allowing functional assessments to be carried out with patients, for daily activities such as drink and meal preparation.

This would help to ensure that the patient is safe to perform such tasks independently once they have been discharged and gone home.

The gym, which opened at the end of October, has been welcomed by therapy teams at Solihull Hospital, who recognise its potential to enhance patient care by providing access to therapy equipment which was not available before.

Sally Golsby-Taylor, Therapy Clinical Team Leader at Solihull Hospital, highlighted the significance of the new space.

She said: “This new dedicated area for therapy will provide us with the opportunity to optimise a patient’s condition before discharge, which will ultimately lead to a better outcome and experience for that patient.”

In the future, the team also hope to be able to run functional classes within the gym, such as strength and conditioning sessions, in addition to the one-to-one therapy that will be available to patients going forward.