Homepage/Our Services/Peer Support

Rookwood

  • Welsh Spinal Injuries & Neurological Rehabilitation Centre
  • Rookwood Hospital
  • Fairwater Road
  • Llandaff
  • Cardiff
  • CF5 2YN
  •  
  • Telephone: 029 2041 5415

Contents

Peer Support Officer & Volunteers Centre Staff Members
Visitor Accommodation Upcoming Events
Useful Addresses Accessible Recreational Facilities
Before Discharge General Hospital Experiences

Peer Support Officer - Sue Carleton

Sue CarltonMy name is Sue Carleton, I am an incomplete tetraplegic, and have been visiting Rookwood Spinal Cord Injuries Centre for the last ten years. I have been SIA’s Peer Support Officer since 2001 and like to think I have helped quite a few people on the road to a full and happy life. Most weeks I am accompanied by Tony Stephenson, who is paraplegic and is SIA’s Peer Link Worker at Rookwood.

 

Peer Link Worker - Tony Stephenson

Tony Stephenson

Our expanding team of Peer Link Workers based within the Spinal Cord Injury Centres are there to assist those about to be discharged by offering one-to-one support to ensure that the transition from hospital to home is as smooth as possible. Our Peer Link worker at the Rookwood SCI Centre is Tony Stephenson, who maintains regular contact, either by telephone or email, with those who have been recently discharged to offer help with any initial concerns. Tony swaps contact details prior to discharge using our Peer Link card, and continues to keep in touch until the newly-discharged person feels confident enough to go it alone..

Centre Staff Members

Consultant – Mr Inman

Visitor Accommodation

There is no accommodation at the Rookwood Centre, but there are a lot of hotels in the area of Cathedral Road, which is on the bus route from Cardiff to Rookwood.

Upcoming Events

The Rookwood Centre hold a fundraising Ball every May

Useful Addresses

The main hospital in Cardiff is the University Hospital of Wales. If travelling by train, get off at Cardiff Central station and catch a number 8 or 9 bus which will take you right to the hospital. The bus station is right outside the train station, as is the taxi rank.

To get to Rookwood Hospital by bus take a number 33, which stops right outside the hospital. Alternatively buses 25 and 62 stop in Llandaff . When you get off the bus walk to the next traffic lights, turn left, walk down the road a little where you will see Rookwood Hospital.

Accessible Recreational Facilities

The CIA St David's Hall and New Theatre are all wheelchair accessible, as are the St David's and Capital shopping centres. The main street has no traffic going through it so it is easy to get around. There are accessible gyms at the University in Cyncoed, which patients from Rookwood use on a weekly basis. There is also a gym at The National Sports Centre in Sophia Gardens, not very far from the town centre, and which is on the bus route to and from Rookwood. There is a leisure centre in Fairwater not far from Rookwood that has hoists to get you in and out of the swimming pool. There is also a new ice rink where the wheelchair ice hockey team train.

Most of the restaurants are accessible, but there are a few small ones that are harder to get into.

Before Discharge

We fully advise…

  • Care plan in place if needed
  • Bowel and bladder management in order
  • To be as independent as one can be
  • To be going home to your own home
  • To be aware of possible problems

General Hospital Experiences

Nearly every patient that comes to the Rookwood Centre from a general hospital comes with a bed sore, as they are not cared for by specialist nurses and are not turned enough whilst in bed. Therefore they have to spend more time on bed rest before they can begin to get up and about.

Back to the Peer Support Page

Quick Links

  • News Archives
  • All our news organised, for easy viewing, from new to old.
  • Events Diary
  • Important dates on the SIA calendar.
  • How To Donate
  • Donations towards our work are always much appreciated and gratefully received