Brain centre is top in its field

TOP team . . . Rachel O’Brien (development and implementation manager), Pat Morrison (support worker), David Melia (service user), Diane Taylor (locality team manager), Veronica Jackson (executive director adult and community services), Tracy Rourke (resource manager), Gemma Wall (clinical psychologist), Councillor Brian Lord (cabinet member for Adult Services and Health)

A SPECIALIST brain injury centre in Chadderton has become the UK’s first to receive accreditation from an international organisation.

Mimosa House supports people who have suffered a brain injury to relearn the skills they need to improve their quality of life and live independently.

The centre has now been awarded three years accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) which recognises international best practises and promotes quality rehabilitation services.

The centre opened in September, 2006, and has six self-contained flats with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom that can all be adapted to meet individual needs. There is also a communal kitchen, a social area and a large garden.

As well as providing 24-hour rehabilitation, the centre offers emotional, social, physical and behavioural support as well as support connected to thinking skills, such as memory, attention and decision-making and patients are monitored once they leave the centre.

The accreditation follows an extensive review process during which staff at Mimosa House demonstrated to a team from CARF that the services, are of the highest standards.

Following the review the service — the only one provided by a local authority in the North-West — has been deemed an “excellent service” by CARF.

Veronica Jackson, executive director of adult and community services, said: “This is excellent news for Oldham. Having achieved the accreditation gives the people and their families the assurance that Mimosa House provides services focused on their unique and individual needs, while meeting the highest national and international standards for quality.

“It also re-emphasises our commitment to continually improving our services.”

Councillor Brian Lord, cabinet member for adult services and health, added: “That Mimosa House has received this accreditation within two years of opening is testament to the hard work and effort of its staff and everyone else involved.

“This excellent facility means that people in Oldham who need this provision can access it within the borough and receive support from friends, family and carers in familiar surroundings.

“This is vital to their well being and future, as they are fully supported through the process to be able to live independently in their community.”

For more information about Mimosa House contact Diane Taylor on 0161-770 8777 or visit www.carf.org