London Spinal Cord Injury Centre (LSCIC)
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH)
“Spinal cord injury due to traumatic accidents may be caused by stretching, pinching or compression of the cord where vertebrae (back bones) have been displaced, or by direct damage to the cord by fragments of fractured bone.
Non traumatic spinal cord injury can be caused by pressure on the spinal cord from disease, infection or if there is any interruption of blood supply to the spinal cord.
Injuries to the spinal cord cause damage to the thin, fibrous nerve fibres within the spinal column.
This means that the messages below the level of injury are unable to get past the damage in the spinal cord to the brain. This causes reduced or absent feeling below the level of the injury.
It also means that messages from the brain are unable to get past the damage in the spinal cord so the muscles below the level of injury are unable to move or do not move as well as before.
Bowel, bladder and sexual function also change after a spinal cord injury and there may be changes in the body’s ability to control breathing, temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.”
Adapted from the LSCIC Education Programme 2022 available at www.
The extent of the changes to your body will depend on the level and severity of your spinal cord injury. Your treating team will tell you about your level of injury, how ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’ you are and what the plans will be for you after you leave your current hospital.
Most people with a spinal cord injury do require a period of rehabilitation. Where this happens will depend on many things, such as the availability of suitable rehabilitation services and your individual preference.
Not all patients referred to the LSCIC will be admitted as an inpatient. One of the purposes of our outreach team is to assess you and determine your care needs and discuss these with you, your current treating team and, with your permission, your family and/or friends. This will allow us to establish your preferred options for rehabilitation.
The initial visit will be carried out by one or more members of the Outreach Team and patients accepted for inpatient rehabilitation may also receive input from the Outreach Case Manager.
The role of the Outreach Case Manager is to discuss future discharge arrangements, in conjunction with the referring team.
If you come to the LSCIC as an inpatient, you will receive a programme of spinal cord injury care centred around your own individual needs and your length of stay will be discussed and agreed with you by your Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) members. It is expected that you will be able to actively engage in the rehabilitation process and should be able to achieve either physical or verbal independence with your ongoing care needs.
The overarching philosophy of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre is that rehabilitation is a journey that takes years and is best delivered through lifelong support.
This service delivery not only allows us to offer optimal and timely intervention to individuals but also supports us in offering our services to the maximum number of people.
Lengths of stay for initial rehabilitation vary between each individual and will be determined within the first 2 weeks of your admission, following full assessment by your MDT.
Depending on your individual needs, it is expected for your length of stay to be around 6 weeks. The goal is for you to have achieved optimal independence in order for you to safely leave hospital.
Readmissions are possible for a maximum length of 2 weeks to work on specific goals and ensure equity and access for all.
Alternatively, an outpatient review with one of our Rehabilitation Consultants could be offered, which gives you the opportunity to further discuss your clinical presentation and rehabilitation options. Sometimes this leads to a recommendation for local rehabilitation with ongoing advice and support provided by the LSCIC or it may lead to a fixed term admission for 1-3 weeks to work towards pre-agreed goals.
The RNOH is located approximately one mile north of Stanmore in north-west London and half a mile from Junction 4 of the M1 motorway.
Tube: Jubilee Line to Stanmore
Taxi: There is a taxi rank outside Stanmore tube station
There is an onsite patient buggy service that can shuttle patients between main locations on site. The buggy can be requested from Main Gate, Outpatients’, and Orthotics reception. It will also stop in the lower patient car park. (Please note: The buggies cannot transport wheelchairs and can only take passengers able to step on the buggy unaided).
09:30 – 16:00 Monday to Friday (depending on volunteer availability).
The RNOH courtesy vehicle service is a free service for patients, visitors and staff, and operates from Monday to Friday only. Vehicles pick up and drop off from the taxi rank outside Stanmore station only. There are three bus stops within the hospital: Main Gate, Outpatients’ and Orthotics Departments. This service can only accommodate collapsible wheelchairs. This service does not currently accommodate children under the age of 4 years old as the cars do not carry car seats, only booster seats. For the RNOH courtesy vehicle service timetable and further information, please visit our website; www.rnoh.nhs.uk
Tube: Northern Line to Edgware.
Bus: The 107 bus (heading towards New Barnet) travels from the bus station, which is located at the back of the tube station, to the RNOH.
The nearest railway station is Elstree and Borehamwood (First Capital Connect); you will then need to take the 107 bus (heading towards Edgware to the RNOH. Further public transport information is available from Transport for London on 0843 222 1234 or visit www.
M25 Leave at Junction 21a, join the M1 signposted to Harrow/Watford and come off at Junction 4 towards Edgware. At the first roundabout take the third exit towards Stanmore. At the next roundabout take the third exit signposted to the RNOH. The hospital is located at the top of Brockley Hill, on the left hand side. From central London The RNOH is best accessed from the A41 northbound towards the M25/M1, Aylesbury, Watford and Elstree. Follow signs for the RNOH.
If you have access to the internet, below are some links for electronic education websites:
www.
This has a link to an interesting short film of our rehabilitation centre. It also has a number of links to other useful websites.
The Spinal Injury Association is a charity that provides support to individuals with spinal cord injury from people who have an SCI themselves. They offer a Peer Support Service which provides one-to-one support, practical help and advice, encouragement and a listening ear. It also provides help for family members and friends by allowing them to talk through the impact of such an injury with someone who understands and who can signpost them to sources of help and support.
Through its projects and programmes, Aspire offers practical support to the 40,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK so that they can lead fulfilled and independent lives in their homes, with their families, in work places and in leisure time.
The Back Up Trust works with people of all ages affected by spinal cord injury. They offer services designed to rebuild confidence and self-belief. In addition they offer mentoring for family members as they recognise that a spinal cord injury can affect the whole family.
Telephone: 0208 909 5121
Email: rno-tr.
Website: www.
The outreach office is staffed Monday - Friday 07:30 - 17:00. There is also an answerphone service and we will endeavour to respond to your enquiry as soon as possible
Ref 23-38 © RNOH
Date of next review: December 2027
Page last updated: 16 December 2025