The NRC building has 3 floors, with the ground floor split into 5 pavilions. To help with wayfinding, each zone within the building is associated with a specific colour theme.
These colours appear on walls and signage throughout the building, helping visitors and staff find their way more easily
The colours are as below:
This area is primarily dedicated to Estates and Facilities Management functions This area is for the receipt and distribution of all goods delivered to the site. It also includes the main kitchen, which supports food preparation as well as housing support services such as housekeeping and engineering workshops.
This pavilion houses the communal dining and canteen area on the south pavilion, as well as some staff areas.
This pavilion has an onsite shop / cafe and innovation spaces to the north and the education areas for seminars and lectures to the south.Collaboration spaces and the main reception exist between pavilions 3 and 4.
This pavilion houses research spaces in the north pavilion, including the neuroplasticity suite. The Security and Reception office are also located here. The south pavilion houses the multi-faith area as well as a patient lounge and gym, which is designed for independent, group and rehab use.
Between pavilions 4 and 5 are further collaboration spaces.
This pavilion houses the main large gym and activity workshop on the north side and additional treatment spaces including the upper limb robotics suite and orthotics splinting room to the south.
The first and second floors serve as ward areas, each accommodating 35 beds. Each level also includes dedicated spaces for rehabilitation and social interaction. Our goal is to equip colleagues with core competencies that enable them to work across both floors, promoting operational resilience and workforce flexibility. While patient allocation may vary based on capacity, current planning anticipates that the first floor primarily supports neuro-rehabilitation patients, while the second floor focuses on individuals with complex musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and those who are deconditioned.
The first-floor ward is divided into two distinct areas, one of which is a hyperacute unit primarily designated for patients requiring increased supervision due to cognitive or behavioural impairments. This area has 13 inpatient beds and has an enhanced HCA-to-patient ratio, with a higher intensity of HCA support, additional security measures, and access to an outdoor space designed to facilitate safe wandering and de-escalation. The remaining 22 beds on the floor are allocated for neuro-rehabilitation patients, supporting a broad spectrum of neurological recovery pathways.
Also located on the first floor are two rehabilitation flats, providing a controlled environment for patients to safely practice independent living or simulate care scenarios before discharge. Additional rehabilitation facilities on this level include two smaller gyms for patients not yet able to access the main gym on the ground floor, group rooms, a gait trainer room, an assessment bedroom, a therapy kitchen, and several individual treatment rooms. A smaller dining and lounge area is also available on this floor for patients unable to reach the communal facilities on the ground floor.
The second floor comprises a 35-bed ward for complex rehabilitation patients. Other facilities on this floor include three treatment rooms, access to a small communal lounge area and a laundry room.
The second floor also includes four overnight rooms designated for families of patients who live outside the local area and wish to stay close to their loved ones during treatment. To request the use of an overnight room, families must complete an application and submit it to the NRC Operations Lead. Please note that room availability is limited, and while we aim to support as many families as possible, we cannot guarantee all requests will be approved. Please speak to your line manager for further information should you receive and enquiry about this facility.
Patients benefit from a comprehensive range of rehabilitation services provided by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists covering physical, mental, and social care. The design of the NRC facilitates the opportunity for patients to have out-of-hours access to gyms, activity spaces and the grounds, allowing them to continue their own rehabilitation where appropriate.
The NRC is designed to be as multifunctional as possible and can accommodate a wide range of activities. All rooms operate with a room booking system. Multiple treatment areas have been provided to allow a variety of spaces that meet differing needs. The neuro treatment gym is provided for those patients who cannot tolerate the busy environment of the large gym or who cannot be away from their bed space for prolonged periods of times. It is anticipated that patients can progress throughout their rehab journey to be treated in the main therapy spaces on the ground floor as appropriate.
As well as the main gym, the ground floor also has an activity workshop for individual or group work, where more vocational or leisure and hobby activities can be practiced, a splinting and orthotics room, as well as treatment spaces for individual and group sessions and a dedicated upper limb robotics suite where virtual rehab can be undertaken.
There are several seminar rooms, teaching spaces and innovation rooms which can be booked through the room booking system. Education and research work flexibly throughout the building, closely collaborating with clinical staff and patients.
All patient accommodation is in secure wards on the 1st and 2nd floors. Much of this accommodation is single en-suite bedrooms. 4 bed bays have been provided for those patients who require more supervision or assistance, these patients typically progress into single bedrooms once their needs reduce.
One of the benefits of the NRC’s location is the access to the wider rehabilitation estate at Stanford Hall. NRC patients have full access to the wider estate outside of the DMRC’s boundary. This includes the trim trails, the lake and the pitch and putt.
Those that can, can freely roam around the grounds and they are required to sign in and out of the building for fire regulation and monitoring. Those patients who need assistance or lack capacity must be assisted by members of staff. This should be built into their rehabilitation programme.