An international win for the Acute Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at The Wellington Hospital in London

HCA's The Wellington Hospital has beaten global competition to be named Specialist International Patient Centre of the Year.

The Wellington Hospital’s Acute Neurological Rehabilitation Unit was recognised by medical publication The International Medical Travel Journal at their annual awards ceremony.

The award was presented to Lesley Pope, Director of Rehabilitation, and recognises the facility's success in attracting and serving international patients. The Wellington Hospital triumphed against strong competition from other medical groups around the world to scoop the award.

The awards took place on 15th April at a high profile ceremony in central London during the International Medical Travel Exhibition and Conference (IMTEC), which brings together pre-eminent providers and experts in international care.

The Wellington Hospital’s Acute Neurological Rehabilitation Unit is the largest private unit of its kind in the UK, with 56 dedicated rooms for patients requiring complex inpatient rehabilitation. The hospital is internationally renowned and admits the highest volume of overseas and UK patients across the HCA International group. The Rehabilitation Unit is recognised for its excellence and promotes a true “team approach” to care. International patient volumes have grown year-on-year and now outnumber UK patients by three to one.

The Wellington Hospital is part of HCA's integrated network of facilities in London that deliver care to both UK patients and international patients, as part of a sector that contributes more than £2bn to London's economy each year.

Keith Biddlestone, Group Commercial Director of HCA International, commented:

“We are delighted to be recognised as an award winner for the excellent work achieved at The Wellington Hospital’s Acute Neurological Rehabilitation Unit. HCA's focus on quality has been integral to driving London’s reputation as a global hub for private healthcare treatment, which contributes significant revenues to the capital’s wider economy. Our continuing focus to welcome an increasing number of overseas patients into The Wellington and other HCA Hospitals is reaping rewards."

Lesley Pope, Director of Rehabilitation, The Wellington Hospital said:

“I am immensely proud to receive such a wonderful accolade on behalf of the Acute Neurological Rehabilitation Unit. This award is a true testament to the team’s hard work and commitment to each patient’s care, day in and day out as well as all other supporting services at the hospital. We are also delighted to be recognised by the International Medical Tourism Journal.”

Chairman of the judging panel and Managing Editor of IMTJ, Keith Pollard, says the awards celebrate the best providers in the industry and aim to encourage others to strive to match them:

“Medical travel is an exciting and growing global industry, with many providers delivering excellence in both medical care and customer service. The IMTJ Medical Travel Awards are the first independent awards to recognise those who are the best of the best and hopefully to encourage others to emulate them. The judges wanted to reward innovation and excellence, highlight best practice and celebrate those who are leading the way in the industry and delivering successful outcomes for patients.

“All our winners exemplify the way the medical tourism industry should be run – professional, offering exceptional patient care and providing the best possible medical outcomes.”

Notes to Editor:

For all media enquiries, please contact the HCA press office, Brands2Life hca@brands2life.com or call 07949 504396.

HCA International (www.hcahospitals.co.uk) is a leading healthcare provider of cutting-edge treatment in the UK, treating 500,000 patients a year in its integrated networks of facilities in London and Manchester. HCA is the world's largest independent hospital group running 166 hospitals and 113 outpatient centres, serving over 20 million patients a year in the US and the UK.

International Medical Travel Journal (www.imtj.com) is the leading business to business journal for the medical travel and medical tourism sector. IMTJ publishes a regular newsletter to around 15,000 people and providers involved in medical travel. IMTJ is owned and managed by Intuition Communication, a UK based online publishing business. The company also operates Treatment Abroad - a website for patients who are seeking advice and information on medical tourism.