A new rehabilitation unit at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, planned for the New Year, could provoke a ?fundamental shift? in the quality of healthcare delivered in Bermuda, a gerontologist says.

For more than two years, the physician leader of the Continuing Care Unit, Dr. David Harries, has been developing a scheme which would relieve pressure on the already stretched resources at the hospital.

In conjunction with the Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association and the Stroke Association, who have both agreed to partially fund the project, other new services such as a home care programme for the elderly or those with disabilities look set to be launched towards the end of February.

The lack of bed space at the hospital has been a concern for some time, and Dr. Harries said that with more resources and staff at his disposal, a greater number of patients could be treated in the comfort of their own homes or could be discharged quicker.

The rehab unit at the hospital will be split into two main sections: an in-patient ward with a 25-bed capacity and a new ?day hospital? which will offer treatment only.

The day hospital is due for completion within ten weeks. It is to be staffed by a team of 12 nurses, therapists and social workers.

The facility will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays ? with two other days set aside exclusively for the home care programme.

Four broad groups of patients will be treated under the new scheme, including stroke victims, amputees, and those with head and spinal injuries.

Elderly patients in need of support around the home rather than urgent medical attention will also receive help.

?At present we are often forced to admit people to the Extended Care Unit who really would be better off being treated at home or being treated at the hospital and sleeping at home,? Dr. Harries said.

?There is already a considerable amount of pressure on the hospital and this is exacerbated by a not insignificant number of what we would call unnecessary admissions.

?What we are endeavouring to do now is make sure patients are admitted into hospital only if it is strictly necessary as well as speed up the process of treatment and discharge through our day hospital.?

Dr. Harries said the cost of keeping patients in hospital has become ?phenomenal? and coupled with spiralling insurance premiums, he said the time was now ripe for a ?cost-effective? alternative.

?I?m very confident that this system will work and be of enormous benefit to the healthcare system on the Island,? he said.

?What we are trying to produce is a smoother and more rapid flow between surgery, rehab and discharge to try to get the system working more effectively.?

Donations from the LCCA will be used to fund the home care programme and its four person staff ? but Dr. Harries stressed that the money would only last for a maximum of two years and it was of ?paramount importance? that the unit ?proves it?s worth to Government and the corporate sector?.

?I am enormously grateful to the LCCA and the Stroke Association for helping to get this project up and running,? he said.

?But their contribution is not finite and we have to demonstrate that this programme is worthy of further investment for the long-term. I am very excited about it and ideally I would like to hand over a fully established, well run rehabilitation unit to a Bermudian in around two years.?