Spinal Cord Injury Care at Home
Spinal Cord Injury Care at Home
A spinal cord injury brings life-changing care needs that require clinical precision and consistent, expert support. CareLink Direct provides nurse-led spinal cord injury care at home across Sussex and Surrey, supporting people to live safely and as independently as possible in their own home.
Spinal Cord Injury Care at Home
A spinal cord injury occurs when the spinal cord, the bundle of nerves running through the spine that carries signals between the brain and body, is damaged. This damage may result from a traumatic accident, such as a road collision or a fall, or from a medical cause such as infection, tumour or ischaemia.
The effects of a spinal cord injury depend on the level and completeness of the injury. Higher injuries typically affect more of the body. People with cervical (neck) level injuries may have limited arm and hand function as well as leg function, and may also require ventilation support. Lower-level injuries may preserve arm function while affecting the legs and lower body.
Common care needs for people with spinal cord injury include bowel and bladder management, pressure area care, respiratory support, and support with personal care and mobility.
When is specialist care at home the right choice?
You may be considering specialist care at home if your loved one:
- Has a spinal cord injury and requires nurse-supervised clinical care at home
- Needs bowel care, catheter care or other clinical procedures as part of their daily routine
- Has a high-level injury with respiratory needs including ventilation support
- Is being discharged from hospital or rehabilitation and needs a complex care package at home
- Has pressure area concerns that require consistent monitoring and repositioning
How our care supports people and families
- Nurse-led care with clinical oversight of all procedures
- Specialist bowel care including digital rectal examination and manual evacuation where required
- Catheter care, both urethral and suprapubic
- Pressure area monitoring and repositioning support
- Ventilation support and airway management where required
- Suctioning and tracheostomy care where indicated
- Coordination with the spinal cord injury centre, GP and rehabilitation team
- Regular care plan review as the person’s needs or circumstances change
What support may include
Care packages are built around individual assessment. Depending on the person’s needs, support may include:
- Personal care including washing, dressing and oral hygiene
- Bowel care and management programme
- Catheter care
- Ventilation support and suctioning where required
- Tracheostomy care where indicated
- Pressure area monitoring and repositioning
- Vital signs monitoring
- Waking and sleeping night care
- Live-in care where continuous support is needed
We work alongside spinal cord injury centres, case managers, CHC teams and rehabilitation professionals to coordinate care effectively.
Arranging spinal cord injury care at home
If your loved one has a spinal cord injury and you are looking at specialist care at home, please contact us. We will listen carefully to the full picture and put together a care plan that is specific to their level of injury, their goals and their home situation.
Registered for TDDI
“Registered to provide Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury (TDDI)”, meaning we are approved to deliver complex clinical care at home for people living with serious illness, disability, or injury.
