Rehab falls short of meeting needs

Rehabilitation service provision continues to be "patchy, with the quality of service provided often falling far short of the known need", according to a joint report from the Royal College of Physicians and the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Medical rehabilitation in 2011 and beyond is critical of current practices, which are too often focused on "clearing beds" at the expense of supporting long-term rehabilitative care. Yet ongoing access to high quality rehabilitation services, using a well-coordinated multi-professional team-based approach, would deliver substantial benefits to patients with disabilities, the report says.