The Princess Royal visits Sheffield’s Spinal Injuries Centre to mark the 25th Anniversary of its opening
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal joined NHS staff, patients and guests to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of The Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre in Sheffield on Wednesday (5th February 2020).
The Princess Royal officially opened the Centre on 1 February, 1995 and since then the Centre has become one of the leading Spinal Injuries Centres in the UK, caring for almost 7,000 patients a year.
The Centre cares for patients who have sustained Spinal Cord Injuries following both traumatic and non-traumatic causes such as falls, road traffic accidents, sports injuries, and non-traumatic such as infections.
The specialist teams also care for patients with other neurological conditions such as Spina Bifida and Multiple Sclerosis. The vast majority of inpatients stay at the Unit from between 3 – 9 months.
During a tour of the Centre, The Princess Royal spoke with patients on the wards, joined an arts therapy session, saw how hydrotherapy is supporting patient’s rehabilitation and met staff who have worked at the Centre since it opened 25 years ago.
Tony Pedder, Chairman of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We were delighted to welcome The Princess Royal back to the Centre Her Royal Highness opened 25 years ago. The Princess Royal has a long association with our Centre as well as being Patron of the Spinal Injuries Association. We were very proud to show Her Royal Highness some of the wonderful new facilities we have created here and the way treatments and rehabilitation have developed over the years to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of spinal injury care.”
David Turton, who has been receiving care at the Centre said: “The team here in the Centre are amazing, so caring and nothing is too much trouble. I am very pleased that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was able to visit today to see for herself what a credit the teams are to the NHS and how lucky we are to have such a Centre on our doorstep.”
Kavina Trofan, Staff Nurse at The Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre, said: “It was lovely to welcome The Princess Royal back to our Unit, particularly as I was here to meet Her Royal Highness when the building was officially opened 25 years ago at the start of my career. It was great to see The Princess Roya speaking with patients and my colleagues and hearing about how things have developed.”
Following a tour of the Unit, The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion.
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