Compass Assistive and Rehabilitation Technology Service at RHN

The Compass Service consists of a multi-disciplinary team of 8 people including Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Clinical Technologists and Technical Support Workers. The team works closely with other therapists across both the rehabilitation and residential units at the RHN, providing support for all forms of assistive and rehabilitation technologies.

Assistive technology is usually provided to an individual to compensate for a skill or ability that has been lost due to injury or illness. For example, someone who has lost the ability to speak may need a voice-output communication aid to help them express themselves and communicate with others. Compass supports people who have this type of equipment on the wards at the RHN, ensuring they can use it effectively and that it is maintained and functioning. This means that individuals can call for assistance, control their TV and chat with staff and relatives both face to face and remotely.

Rehabilitation technology is used to help a person to regain skills, having lost them due to injury or illness. For example, if someone has experienced a stroke, they may have reduced movement in one or more limbs. Certain technologies can be used to help them increase the range and strength in those limbs and make the hard work fun as well! Individuals can challenge themselves to reach targets and feel a sense of achievement as they progress. These types of activities, in conjunction with more traditional therapies, can help an individual achieve tangible goals, like being able to feed or wash. The Compass team work with the MDT on the wards at the RHN to provide sessions in the Computer Room to work on any rehabilitation goal a patient may have. The team also supports group work on the wards and in the therapy hub to make activities as sociable and engaging as possible.

For over 30 years, the RHN has been involved in the innovative and creative use of technology to help our patients and residents. Compass was formed around 15 years ago to help progress this work as technology became more and more embedded in healthcare across many settings and technology became more complex. Part of our role is to be aware of the latest developments in technology to ensure our patients and residents have the latest equipment at their disposal. Technology moves on all the time, so it is essential to work with companies to help develop ways in which mainstream technologies can be more accessible and useful to people with disabilities.

Of course, this is not just limited to rehabilitation activities! Technology also offers the potential for disabled people to be more involved in fun leisure activities, which is such an important part of being human. Whether it is surfing the web, playing games or watching videos, the Computer Room team are always looking for new ways to access these activities for those who are unable to interact in the usual way. For example, did you know that it is possible to play video games without using a standard game controller? There are lots of options and patients and residents thoroughly enjoy being able to take part and play alongside others. Leisure activities are difficult for people with profound disabilities to take part in but technology can often offer a solution.

Compass has always been at the forefront of using technology to enable people with profound disabilities to become more independent and able to engage in society. Initially, this was just within the RHN itself but more recently, Compass has been providing communication equipment in the wider community of West London as part of an NHS England contract. The Compass team are proud to represent the RHN in this way.

I like Compass because they are teaching me how to strengthen my right arm as well as allowing me to listen music [sic] (Antonia, patient, 2022)

I enjoy the computer room, where I can write to my friends.
(Kay, patient, 2022)

I enjoy coming to the computer room as it gives me a chance to play games on the Wii or computer and to chat with the wonderful staff and volunteers who always make me smile or giggle during the session. I have one therapy session a week where I use grip able or VR to work on my left hand whose movement is restricted. But I use my left hand for Wii also, so I am now almost as strong with my least dominant hand.

The computer room is always a fun environment where we can use the computers to play games or access social media or create cards or pictures for different festive occasions. The best thing is I can be on different festive occasions.

The best thing is I can be in a different environment and have some fun whilst improving my computer skills. The staff in the computer room are very friendly and knowledgeable and will always help if you have any problems.
(Ruth Balkansky, patient, 2022)