By Gary Jevon, Centre Manager

When we opened the doors to the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease three months ago, we hoped it would feel different from a traditional clinic. What we’re seeing now is beyond anything we imagined and being able to see the impact we’re having on people’s lives is really fulfilling.

Patients that come in are responding to the centre in a completely different way from the old hospital environment. We’re really making use of that free-flowing space at the heart of the centre. People will spend time looking at the pictures and reading some of the books, looking at Rob Burrow’s book of remembrance. If the weather’s good, they’ll go out into the gardens.

A patient might come in to see several different specialists at the same time – and they don’t have to travel around different hospitals and sites. This really helps to reduce stress and fatigue. People can just relax and spend time in the building rather than be sitting in a traditional waiting room. Patients are saying the building itself is part of the therapy.

As well as the clinics themselves, we have a yoga therapist who’s starting to deliver sessions, our bereavement group has started meeting here, people can access dietetic support. We have a lot of family members who will come in on their own to talk about the support that’s available for them, particularly if they’re caring for people who are newly diagnosed.

The family room is a really lovely space - we offer parents the opportunity to come and see the centre first to learn about what’s available. Once people have come in and seen the centre, they can see it’s a nice environment and then they come back as a family.

We had a newly diagnosed patient in the clinic recently who was terribly anxious. He and his wife were really worried about what the future held for them, as so many families are. It’s so important that we’re there for them at this crucial point. By the time they left, having seen everybody and realised what support is available to them and what we can offer here, they left much happier. That was incredible, to seem them leaving with a smile on their faces, knowing that they’re not feeling so alone in facing the journey they have ahead of them.

We’re also using the centre for lots of training and education events, making use of the new seminar room and the facilities we’ve got here. We’re inviting other teams and specialists to come and see the centre and what we can do here. We’re also planning for the future, developing research partnerships and helping patients to take part in studies and trials.

There have been lots of goodwill gestures from members of the public – people dropping in to make donations, cash, artwork, signed rugby shirts, all sorts. We’re hugely grateful to everybody who donates.

I’m finding it a really rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable role. Every day, I see people walk through these doors carrying fear, hope, courage, and questions. If we can make that journey even a little easier by offering comfort, expertise, or simply a place that feels safe, then we’re doing what this centre was built for.